Applicant seeks permission for up to six homes on green belt land after two refused
The northern planning committee turned down the application from Juan Paez for permission in principle for the two properties on land between Racecourse Road and Greaves Road, on t
By Chester Standard
A new planning application seeking permission for up to six homes on green belt land in Wilmslow has been submitted just three months after the same applicant’s proposal for two dwellings on the site was refused by Cheshire East Council. Juan Paez, the applicant behind the scheme, is now pursuing permission in principle for the larger development on land situated between Racecourse Road and Greaves Road, despite the northern planning committee previously ruling that the earlier two-home proposal constituted inappropriate development in the protected green belt.
The committee’s decision to turn down the initial application for two properties was based firmly on green belt policy, which prohibits development that does not meet very special circumstances. The land in question falls within a designated green belt area, where the primary purpose is to prevent urban sprawl and preserve the openness of the countryside.
The committee concluded that the two-dwelling proposal did not satisfy these criteria, making it inappropriate development under current planning regulations. Despite this rejection, Paez has moved forward with a revised and significantly larger plan.
The new application seeks permission for up to six homes, a move that has drawn attention from local planning observers and residents concerned about the implications for the green belt. The timing of the submission—only three months after the refusal—has raised questions about whether the applicant believes the new proposal addresses the concerns that led to the earlier rejection, or whether it is simply an attempt to push through a different scale of development on the same site.
Cheshire East Council, which oversees planning in the Wilmslow area, has not yet issued a formal decision on the six-home application. However, the council is expected to assess the proposal against the same green belt policies that led to the refusal of the two-home plan.
Unless Paez can demonstrate very special circumstances that outweigh the harm to the green belt, the application faces a high risk of rejection. These circumstances might include economic benefits, social needs, or environmental improvements that are not otherwise available, but such arguments are rarely accepted in green belt cases.
The site has a history of planning scrutiny beyond the recent applications. An earlier proposal for four houses on the same land was refused in 2018 and later dismissed at appeal, while a separate plan for three detached houses was rejected in 2021.
This pattern of repeated refusals suggests that the council has consistently viewed development on this site as incompatible with green belt protection. The new six-home application, therefore, enters a landscape where previous attempts have already been deemed inappropriate.
Local residents and planning groups have expressed concern about the potential impact of the proposed development. Wilmslow is a town that has seen significant pressure on housing, but the green belt remains a critical boundary that defines the town’s character and limits expansion.
The land between Racecourse Road and Greaves Road is part of this protective ring, and any development there would alter the openness that the green belt is designed to preserve. Critics argue that approving the six-home plan would undermine the integrity of the green belt and set a precedent for further development in protected areas.
The applicant, Juan Paez, has not publicly explained why he believes the six-home proposal should be approved despite the earlier refusal. It is unclear whether the new plan includes design changes, additional infrastructure, or other elements intended to address the committee’s concerns.
Without such information, it remains difficult to assess whether the application represents a genuine attempt to meet planning requirements or simply a continuation of a strategy that has already failed twice on the same site. Planning authorities in Cheshire East are expected to conduct a thorough review of the application, including consultations with local stakeholders and an assessment of the proposal’s impact on the green belt.
The council will also consider whether the development aligns with the broader local plan, which prioritises the protection of green belt land and the promotion of sustainable housing in appropriate locations. Given the history of refusals on this site, the council is likely to apply strict scrutiny to the new application.
The case highlights the ongoing tension between housing needs and green belt protection in Cheshire. While there is a clear demand for new homes in the region, the green belt remains a non-negotiable element of the local planning framework.
Applications that seek to develop on green belt land must meet very high standards to be approved, and the repeated refusals on this Wilmslow site suggest that the current proposals do not meet those standards. The outcome of the six-home application will be a key test of whether the council will maintain its consistent stance on green belt protection or consider exceptional circumstances that might justify development.
As the application moves through the planning process, local residents and planning observers will be watching closely for any signs that the council is considering a different approach. However, given the consistent pattern of refusals and the strong protection afforded to green belt land, the likelihood of approval remains low.
The case underscores the challenges applicants face when seeking to develop on protected land and the importance of aligning proposals with established planning policies. The final decision on the six-home application will be made by Cheshire East Council, and it is expected to be announced in the coming months.
Until then, the site remains undeveloped, and the question of whether six homes can be built on this green belt land remains unresolved. The outcome will have implications not only for Wilmslow but also for future planning applications on green belt land across Cheshire.