More planning powers should be handed to environmental watchdogs to prevent development in high-risk flood areas, according to a Chester campaign group.<\/p>\n
The warning follows the decision this week to allow 142 homes to be built on the former Chester College playing fields on Sealand Road, concluding an eight-year planning saga. <\/p>\n
Now, Reg Barritt of Chester Community Voice UK, has called for changes to be made. <\/p>\n
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: We ask, why are UK developers still planning and being allowed to build more homes in high-risk flood areas when we know that the situation is only going to get worse because of the climate emergency?<\/p>\n
Our Government and local planners need to rethink where and how we build homes, [and we need to give] more powers to environmental watchdogs to keep developers in check, and to invest more in preventing flooding from happening.<\/p>\n
Damage caused by such storms as Ciara and Dennis is becoming increasingly frequent and is proof of the case against such development, [which] has left many residents counting the cost of that policy and raised concerns over plans to build more.<\/p>\n
The Sealand Road decision on Tuesday (April 6) came after Cheshire West and Chester Councils planning committee felt they could not find a planning reason to refuse it but Cllr Gina Lewis said morally, I do not feel I can support this.<\/p>\n
Her view was seemingly shared by several other councillors, as five voted to approve the bid, one voted against, and five chose to abstain.<\/p>\n
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Call for more powers to be handed to "environmental watchdogs" after eight-year planning saga - Cheshire Live<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More planning powers should be handed to environmental watchdogs to prevent development in high-risk flood areas, according to a Chester campaign group. The warning follows the decision this week to allow 142 homes to be built on the former Chester College playing fields on Sealand Road, concluding an eight-year planning saga. Now, Reg Barritt of Chester Community Voice UK, has called for changes to be made Continue reading