Cheshire East says it is the authority's view the Watkin Jones development off Sydney Road in Crewe does have a valid planning permission 'but there are still outstanding matters to be resolved'.

The council's southern planning committee last week deferred an application to vary a condition relating to house-type on part of the site because councillors wanted written legal confirmation regarding a possible breach of regulations and whether the existing planning permission had been nullified.

The concerns relate only to the Watkin Jones part of the site, which currently has permission for 245 homes – 159 of which are affordable.

Following concerns raised by some of the estate's residents on social media following last week's planning meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) this week asked Cheshire East to clarify the situation.

The LDRS questioned the council to determine whether the planning permission for the site was still valid.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: "As presented to the southern planning committee on July 30, the local planning authority's view is that planning permission for the estate is in place but there are still outstanding matters to be resolved.

"Following the deferral of the application, officers will now prepare responses to the questions raised by councillors and will present back to the southern planning committee at the earliest opportunity."