Council loses battle over Green Belt stables

A PARISH council has lost a battle to stop stables being built on a Green Belt site in South Warrington.
Borough planners have given the go-ahead for the scheme on land adjoining Elm Cottage, in Hobb Lane, Walton.
Walton Parish Council had opposed the scheme on the grounds that, while not obvious to the general public, the building would still be intrusive in the Green Belt.
Although the building would be obscured by trees, they believed the Green Belt should maintain openness regardless of what screening there might be.
“We do not see a strategic need for this building and do not associate it with agriculture, forestry or sport,” the council stated.
Planning officers argued that the building was for the personal use of the occupants of Elm Cottage only and would be an appropriate development in the Green Belt.
Members of the borough council’s development management committee approved the scheme.