Land At Shellow Farm, Shellow Lane, North Rode, Congleton, CW122NX

Planning appeal 6006540 at Land At Shellow Farm, Shellow Lane, North Rode, Congleton, CW122NX (Cheshire East Council) was dismissed on 15 July 2026 by Inspector K Mee, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site is suitable having regard to its location, proposed land use and the amount of development, in relation to: whether the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies, and the effect on openness; whether the proposed development would be suitably located having regard to the countryside location and the accessibility of services and facilities; whether the amount of development proposed would represent an efficient use of land; and whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal.

permission in principle for the erection of 1 dwelling

Authority: Cheshire East Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Inspector: K Mee
Postcode: CW12 2NX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the site is suitable having regard to its location, proposed land use and the amount of development, in relation to: whether the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies, and the effect on openness; whether the proposed development would be suitably located having regard to the countryside location and the accessibility of services and facilities; whether the amount of development proposed would represent an efficient use of land; and whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The site's location in the open countryside with poor accessibility to services and facilities and reliance on private vehicles, combined with the failure to make efficient use of land and significant harm to Green Belt openness, could not be justified by the benefits of a single dwelling in the absence of very special circumstances.

The significant benefits of housing delivery and contribution to the 3.3-year housing land supply were outweighed by the totality of harm from inappropriate Green Belt development, significant harm to openness, unsuitability of location in the countryside with poor accessibility, and inefficient use of land, such that very special circumstances were not established.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy PG 3Policy PG 6Policy SD 1Policy SD 2Policy CO 1Policy SE 2Policy SC 4Policy HOU 14Policy HOU 1Table 9.1
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 11Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 153Paragraph 155

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.

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The decision letter

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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

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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.