PLANS to develop a car storage facility for customers of a Manchester Airport hotel at a site which has caused the council 'overwhelming difficulties' have been refused.

Cheshire Airport Parking Ltd's proposals for a 700-space car storage facility on the land formerly home to Caddick's Clematis Nursery, on Lymm Road, came before the development management committee on Wednesday.

It was a reduction from the initial plans for a 1,000-space facility submitted in March.

The application related to off-site parking for customers of the Clayton Hotel at Manchester Airport, who wish to park their cars or vans while on holiday.

However, the company has been using the site despite having no permission to do so.

The police and council have visited the location and, as reported on June 26, a High Court judge granted an extension to an injunction ordering cars parked on the site without planning permission to be removed.

Cllr Anna Fradgley (LD – Lymm South), who chairs Lymm Parish Council, spoke on behalf of residents during the meeting.

She said: "I would like to stress that Lymm Parish Council supports the view of officers that the airport car parking facility does not constitute very special circumstances and it does not outweigh the harm to the green belt.

"It would increase traffic going through Lymm – it will have no benefit to Lymm residents."

Committee member Cllr Bob Barr also outlined his concerns.

He said: "This is a very difficult application relating to a site which has caused the council overwhelming difficulties over the last 10 or 12 years.

"I think the principle that you can use a site unlawfully – where you can resist enforcement action, you can resist any form of action trying to enforce normal planning rules for 10 or 12 years – then be rewarded by the inappropriate granting of permission for land in green belt strikes me as quite wrong."

Planning documents stated the business operated by Cheshire Airport Parking provides 'competition and choice' to the car park operations of Manchester Airport.

The cars would have been transported from the hotel to, and from, the site by Cheshire Airport Parking.

The applicant highlighted that vehicle movements to, and from, the facility would typically average between 100-150 cars on a daily basis.

But it 'noted' that these vehicle movements would take place 'outside of peak travel hours'.

Cheshire Airport Parking director Mark Doubleday said the 'only matters of contention' were sustainability and the green belt.

He added: "The site in question meets our requirement and provides the council with a solution to many years of ongoing enforcement issues.

"Enforcement action has failed to deliver any positive change on the site since March 2008.

"Our proposal will safeguard 20 jobs and create further jobs.

"The proposal will provide the council with much-needed control and certainty overt the site's future use."

Planning officers said the proposals were considered to be 'unacceptable'.

The application was turned down after it was deemed there were 'no special circumstances' to carry out development in the green belt.