A £100MILLION, 360-home Mobberley master plan has been blocked by Cheshire East Council.

Last Wednesday, LPC Living’s scheme to build a new HQ for firm HARMAN along with 360 new homes on Ilford Way was presented to Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board, with a recommendation for approval.

Members heard from a variety of public speakers, including Gareth Wilson from Residents Against Mobberley Sprawl (RAMS), Clr Maurice Boden from Mobberley Parish Council, Clr Jamie Macrae, ward member for Mobberley, farmer Ian Norbury, and resident Jim Shepherd, all of whom objected to the application.

Peter Elton, managing director at HARMAN Technology, and Jeremy Hinds, a retail planning specialist from Savills, spoke in support of the application.

The public gallery was packed with Mobberley residents, councillors and business owners eager to hear the outcome.

After the matter was discussed for more than two and a half hours, members decided to reject the application on the grounds that it did not meet the affordable housing quota, noise generated from aircraft would have an adverse affect on potential residents, and it would compromise the character of the village.

Clr Ken Edwards said: “We are sat here today as a democratic body representing a balanced view overall, taking into account the application as well as the current mass of people who live in this area, which has been demonstrated today.

“It’s not just one or two people from down the road; there have been some very solid representations from the community as a whole – and they are saying this is completely out of balance.”

Photographic products have been produced on the 40-acre Brownfield site for more than a century, however, changes in the imaging market have meant that large areas of the site are no longer required and are costly to maintain.

The proposals would have seen up to £100m being invested to deliver a modern campus for HARMAN in a smaller section of the site; new employment space, and up to 360 new homes.

An adjoining 20-acre field, which forms part of the greenbelt, would have been turned into public open space and include a new sports pitch, a community growing space for fresh produce and children’s play area.

In his recommendation for approval, the planning officer stated that the development would secure the future of more than 200 jobs, around 40 per cent of which are from residents in Cheshire East.

Clr Brendan Murphy said that the council had to be careful about enabling developments and that they had a responsibility to preserve the Mobberley community.

“There is no guarantee it will work out with HARMAN and it is not for us to intervene to try and facilitate that – I am not persuaded it’s sustainable,” he said.

“Mobberley has been severely scarred by other developments and we have a duty to protect these conservation areas. I can’t see how building houses on this employment site will not impact on the character of Mobberley. I think it’s a disaster.”

Clr George Walton said he could understand why the applicant wanted to build the houses to secure the future of the business but said it was ‘rather excessive’ and that it would overwhelm the village.

Clr Steve Wilkinson moved a vote to reject the application, which Clr Murphy seconded. Eight members voted to reject the application, four members voted to approve, and one member abstained.