VILLAGERS have been thanked for sending in a flood of objections to Cheshire East to controversial plans to develop land in Mobberley.

A group of 10 Mobberley residents went door to door with thousands of leaflets recently, urging people to support them in opposing plans for caravan pitches off Broad Oak Lane.

More than 900 people wrote to Cheshire East Council to oppose the plans by applicant Michael Maloney to change the use of the site to station caravans for residential purposes for three Gipsy pitches.

Residents were also asked to make their objections known to a second application by Mr Maloney for a stable block and replacement agricultural storage barn with associated landscaping on the same site.

The deadline for comments on the stable block plans, reference 20/3409M, was tomorrow, October 14, but has been extended to November 2.

Dozens of residents have written to Cheshire East to oppose the plans, and one of the residents campaigning to stop development of the site made a final plea last week for people to have their say.

The plea sparked a further 57 objections on Friday, taking the total to about 120.

“We would like to thank people from the community and surrounding areas for sending in their comments,” said the resident, who did not wish to be named.

“It shows the level of concern about the application. There are farmers who have genuine needs for their horses and other animals, and have been refused very similar applications

“This application is on everybody’s minds in the village, and if it was allowed to go through we would have to look at those farmers who have been dealt a blow before.

Knutsford Guardian:

The site earmarked for the stable block. Picture submitted by resident

“With the first application we drafted a leaflet, had 9,000 printed and walked round pretty much all of Mobberley, some of Wilmslow, pretty much all of Knutsford, and Ashley, over two weeks, dropping them at homes.

“We want to show that as a community we don’t want people being able to develop land in the way they see fit if it doesn’t fit in with the local guidelines.

“The barn proposed is not in keeping with the area, and what they are proposing for the site is massive compared to what was on the site before they did any work to it.”

Mobberley Parish Council said the application would harm the openness of the green belt.

It said: “If horses were stabled there they would be too close to the railway line, and there is no grazing land for them.

“The application requests permission for roller shutter doors on the barn, which would be completely out of character and urbanise the development.”