A COUPLE who spent their life savings and the last two years renovating their retirement home in Middlewich say it has all been wasted due to the Gipsy site. 

Bob Moody, 66, and wife Trisha, 62, bought a derelict property on Cledford Lane in Middlewich two years ago and have spent their life savings on turning it into their dream rural retirement home.

However, with the cottage now finally looking close to complete, Cheshire East Council are set to build a borough-wide legal Gipsy site across the road, with the plans being approved last week. 

Bob was one of the main protesters against the site and now it has been approved, he says it will reduce the value of his property by at least £100,000.

Bob said: “I honestly don’t know what to do. We will lose at least £100,000 if we try to sell it but even if we reduce the asking price, will anyone want to buy it knowing what is over the road?”

“I’ve spent two years on the house and we have to finish it now. But every time we spend some money on it, we know that it’s money we’re losing.”

“We aren’t getting any compensation from the council. If the bypass was built alongside us or if the HS2 was near us we would get compensation, but this would have more of a negative impact on the valuation of our property than either of those two would.”

Bob also hit out at the council for not rescheduling the committee date due to the funeral of a nearby resident and protester, Margaret Roden. 

Around 400 people signed two petitions against the site but despite the apparent mass objection, only four protesters turned up at the meeting.

Bob added: “We know plenty of people who would have attended the meeting and they were all at the funeral. They refused to move it because they didn’t want it to go to the southern planning committee because they are more local.

“Instead they went to the strategic planning committee who usually only deal with huge developments of more than 200 houses.”

Caroline Simpson defended the decision not to move the committee date.

Mrs Simpson said: “We were sorry to hear the sad news that Mrs Roden has passed away. The clash of dates between her funeral and the planning meeting is an unfortunate coincidence.”