A landowner has applied for permission in principle for up to four self-build homes next to a natural burial site at Shavington.

Simon Clutton is seeking permission for the properties on land to the rear of Pusey Dale Close, off Main Road.

In a letter sent to Cheshire East's planning department and published on the portal on the council's website, Mr Clutton says there is a need for the proposed self-build homes.

He adds: "This land we want to provide is directly behind Pusey Dale Close and is part of our burial site, which already has an amenity building, car park and pathways that are further away from the settlement boundary and will remain unaffected by the proposal.

"This is important to us, as we want to still provide the natural burial site to meet local needs.

"The burial site is a beautiful setting for these homes, it is very well planted with more than 400 trees, lots of new hedgerows, not to mention existing mature trees."

A supporting statement submitted by Adams Planning & Development Ltd on behalf of the applicant says, while it is accepted that the proposed self-build homes would conflict with some aspects of the local plan 'these policies are out of date by virtue of the council's acknowledged housing shortfall and the proposals will accord with the development plan as a whole'.

It adds: "The proposals will deliver a small scale, self-build housing site that will meet the identified local need and can be delivered quickly to boost supply in the short term."

The application site is approximately 0.34 hectares of grassland and adjoins the western boundary of the settlement of Shavington.

The land has historically been grazed as pastureland and is the north-eastern corner of a wider field that was recently granted planning consent as a natural burial ground, known as Santune Meadows.

This application is for permission in principle (PIP), a two-stage mechanism for obtaining planning approval for housing development.

The first stage, being applied for now, is to establish whether the site is suitable in principle.

If PIP is granted, the site must receive a grant of technical details consent before development can proceed.

The last date for submitting comments is January 14, with a target decision date of January 27.

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