A former Cheshire East councillor breached a planning rule for more than 20 years by living in a property which could only be occupied by agricultural workers.

Steve Wilkinson represented Knutsford and then High Legh between 2009 and 2015 and was a member of the strategic planning board.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week he only recently became aware he had breached the planning condition.

He has now applied to the council for a’ lawful development certificate for existing occupation in breach of agricultural occupancy condition’ – and for no enforcement action to be taken in respect of the breach, on the grounds he has lived there for more than 10 years.

A planning statement submitted with the certificate application says prior to moving to the property at Dunholme Farm at Pickmere, Mr Wilkinson operated a dairy farm.

When he bought Dunholme Farm in December 1997 he satisfied the occupancy condition because, although he was not working then, he had last been employed in agriculture within the local area.

The breach arose the following year when he took a job which did not meet the ‘working in agriculture’ condition attached to Dunholme Farm.

A report sent to Cheshire East (CEC) on behalf of Mr Wilkinson’s certificate application states: “It is clear from the submitted evidence that a breach of the occupancy condition occurred in 1998 when Mr Wilkinson took a full-time role with Robert Wiseman Dairies.

“In addition to requiring occupants to be solely or mainly employed in agriculture, the condition also requires that the employment is located within the Knutsford Plan Local Plan Area.

“The peripatetic nature of the job across a wide part of England, means that both requirements of the condition were being beached at the point when he started his employment with Robert Wiseman.”

Mr Wilkinson gave up his job at Wiseman’s in July 1999, shortly after being elected to Cheshire County Council (CCC).

He was a councillor on CCC until it was disbanded in 2009.

The planning statement submitted with the certificate application states: “Neither Mr and Mrs Wilkinson have been mainly or solely employed or last employed in agriculture in the 10 years prior to this application being made.“

The application for the lawful development certificate is based on a section of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 which states, where there has been a breach of planning control, ‘no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the period of 10 years beginning with the date of the breach’.

The planning statement submitted on behalf of Mr Wilkinson states: “This certificate application is seeking confirmation that the property known as Dunholme Farm, Pickmere, has been occupied in breach of an agricultural occupancy for more than 10 years. Through the passage of time, the continued occupation of the property is considered to be lawful, and no enforcement action can be taken under the provisions of the Act.”

Mr Wilkinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “When I was made aware that we were breaching the regulations we wanted to regulate it so we put in a planning application."

He added he didn’t realise his employment at Robert Wiseman Dairies wasn’t classed as agricultural work.