MIDDLEWICH ward members at Cheshire East Council have hit out at the planning board after it approved permission for a Gipsy site to be built in the town.

The three ward members, who represent Middlewich First, objected to the application at the meeting with Cllr Paul Edwards on the board, Cllr Mike Parsons a speaker at the meeting, and Cllr Simon McGrory issuing a written statement which was read out.

Cllr Edwards was the only member of the board to vote against the application and speaking afterwards, he described the vote as ‘embarrassing’.

Cllr Edwards said: “Planning Officers and Highways, our experts, actually agreed the site was unsustainable, and yet the committee decided that they wanted it to go ahead anyway. It was embarrassing.”

Cllr Parsons said his colleague was the only one who could have a clear conscience and questioned the impartiality of the vote.

“In speaking at the meeting I can say that I have never seen such a debacle as this,” cllr Parsons said.“No way was this a democratic, free, and impartial vote. I would liken this to a steamroller trying to squash anything in its path.

“How anyone other than Cllr Edwards could have walked away from that meeting knowing their conscience clear is beyond me.”