DEVELOPERS behind a proposed business park in Middlewich face having their planning permission overturned after failing to stump up any cash for the town’s bypass.

Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board gave Total Developments NW the green light for eight industrial units at the Midpoint 18 site last October – provided it coughed up £687,540 for the Middlewich eastern bypass.

But now the strategic planning board will reconsider the scheme at next Wednesday’s meeting – and planning officers want councillors to reject it.

In a report published ahead of the meeting, CEC says that Total Developments NW ‘is unwilling to provide the required financial contribution’.

The report said: “The requirement for this contribution was set out in the original report and was not questioned by the developer prior to the resolution to approve being made.

“In addition pre-application advice was given to the developer and this set out clearly that a contribution would be required and how it would be calculated.

“Subsequently the developer contacted the case officer questioning the need for the contribution and putting forward the argument that the contribution is not necessary.”

The cash was supposed to go towards the bypass – or if CEC had five other developer contributions of higher value, it would have been spent on other road improvements in Middlewich.

CEC says the development now goes against its local plan, which calls for financial contributions ‘to make sure that the necessary physical, social, public realm, economic and green infrastructure is in place to deliver development’.

Specific local plan policy on Midpoint 18 also states that financial contributions to the bypass are required from developers expanding the business park.

The 369,000sq ft development – which would be called Pioneer Park – was due to be built up in two phases on a separate plot of land at Midpoint 18, close to the existing MA6NITUDE development.

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Total Developments NW values Pioneer Park at £33 million.

The firm has been approached for comment.