A PLANNING inspector has heard villagers pleas for an application to be refused that could see 375 homes built in Mobberley.

The six-day planning inquiry, that began on May 4, was held at Alderley Edge Conference Centre into plans that could see the Ilford Photo site in the village transformed into a housing estate.

Regeneration specialist LPC Living has proposed to invest up to £100m in the site that would include 375 affordable and family homes and15,000 sq ft of office space for new businesses.

Plans also included a sports pitch, community growing space and children’s play area.

The village of Mobberley hired its own team of experts to fight the application at the inquiry.

Gareth Wilson, whose role was helping to co-ordinate the fundraising to hire the barristers, told the Guardian the village had managed to raise £20,000 – with £15,000 of that being provided by Mobberley Parish Council.

The parish council had ringfenced funds following the village's past planning battles with Manchester Airport over the second runway.

Residents donated the remaining £5,000.

"That covers the planning guys and it's so expensive," Gareth said "We could not have rocked up without a barrister, we didn't have the legal knowledge.

"That's where the money went plus our experts in the village that we had.

"Stuart Nixon led it for us and he's a planning inspector who lives in Mobberley and we're so fortunate.

"I think we had a better case and evidence than Cheshire East and we have probably spent more time and care than them to defend it. They are really stretched at the moment and have lots of appeals going on. We spent a lot of time on this.

"Jamie Macrae (ward councillor for Mobberley at Cheshire East) did a really good job and worked really hard on it. He's an architect so that helped us as well."

The village was able to present evidence to the inspector from sound experts, with one even living in the village.

Gareth added villagers had also been able to provide their own testimonies to the planning inspector.

"You can't do anything about the noise from the planes - you can build schools, but you can't do anything about the noise," Gareth added.

"Villagers were submitting evidence off the cuff, and saying how the noise affects their lives."

LPC Living had a second application for the same site refused in March this year by Cheshire East Council's strategic planning committee.

A decision by the planning inspector is expected in two months time.