BOROUGH chiefs are celebrating after the planning inspectorate backed their five-year housing supply – but the council is now being warned not to be complacent.

Cheshire East Council was challenged over a decision to refuse a 46-home development in Wrenbury by Gladman Developments on the grounds that it believed CEC could not supply the 1,800 homes a year it has proposed.

Over a two-day appeal hearing the firm said CEC was only able to provide a 4.6-year housing supply, rather than the five-year housing supply required by the Government – meaning the council would have a shortfall of more than 1,000 homes.

The inspectorate ruled in favour of the council – but suggested the numbers are ‘not quite as healthy as the council believes’.

In the decision report, inspector A J Mageean said: “My conclusion on current supply figures is that the council has demonstrated a little over five-year housing land supply.

“Whilst I have concluded that at the present time the supply of housing land is not quite as healthy as the council believes, there is a supply which exceeds the five-year requirement.”

CEC maintains that it has a robust housing supply of 1,800 homes a year – as stated in its local plan.

While the planning inspectorate ruled in favour of CEC, this was done after reducing the council’s figure by 20 per cent to reflect ‘the council’s record of persistent under-delivery against the housing requirement’.

Following the planning inspectorate’s decision Cllr Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: “I am delighted that this appeal confirms the council’s long-held view that the requisite five-year supply of housing is in place.

“With our local plan adopted less than a year ago and housing allocations totalling almost 1,000 hectares, I was always confident that the council had made adequate provision for the homes local people need.

“It is also gratifying that this decision backs the council’s efforts to protect the character of the Cheshire countryside and landscape.

“I hope now, with this important decision under our belts, we can now concentrate on ensuring homes are built in a timely fashion and to the best possible quality.”

But Cllr Sam Corcoran, leader of CEC’s Labour opposition group, has warned that the planning inspectorate’s decision should be considered more carefully.

He said: “It is good news, but if you read the detail it isn’t what CEC thought it was, and there are a couple of comments that suggest it is not a robust five-year housing supply.

“We need 1,800 homes a year and we need to be addressing the backlog. We are not addressing that backlog and we are not building enough houses according to CEC’s figures.”

Cllr Corcoran added that recent Government advice suggested CEC might not need to build as many homes as it believes, but the council is not expected to revise the figure.

Last month Cllr Rachel Bailey, CEC leader, stated that the council must ‘have an eagle eye’ on the figure in order to balance the books and protect the greenbelt.