®Planning appeal decision
St Chads Vicarage, Sagars Road, Handforth, SK9 3EE
Planning appeal 6004534 at St Chads Vicarage, Sagars Road, Handforth, SK9 3EE (Cheshire East Council) was dismissed on 10 July 2026 by Inspector J D Clark, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development with regard to a non-designated heritage asset and the character and appearance of the appeal site and the surrounding area.
demolition of existing vicarage and construction of replacement vicarage and four number dwellings
- Authority
- Cheshire East Council
- Appeal type
- Planning
- Procedure
- Written
- Development
- residential
- Inspector
- J D Clark
- Postcode
- SK9 3EE
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development with regard to a non-designated heritage asset and the character and appearance of the appeal site and the surrounding area
What decided it
The loss of a non-designated heritage asset of local importance and the resulting significant harm to the character and appearance of the area outweighs the modest housing benefit, particularly where no evidence demonstrates the existing building cannot be retained and refurbished.
The benefits of providing new housing at a time of housing land supply shortfall (modest weight) were outweighed by the significant harm to a non-designated heritage asset and the character and appearance of the surrounding area, resulting in adverse impacts that significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Local Plan Strategy Policy SE 7SADPD Policy HER 7Handforth Neighbourhood Plan Policy H10
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 216
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.