This field has cost YOU £150k - at least

9:58am Monday 11th September 2006

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A SAGA of spiralling legal costs and unreasonable' council behaviour has been played out - leaving the taxpayer with a total bill of at least £150,000.

The losing battle against a 200-home housing development in Lymm started in 1999 but the affair has only just come to a close.

The council fought long and hard against the plan, right up to several high court hearings.

But it lost to the landowner and developers and was saddled with legal bills - and was strongly criticised because councillors went against the advice of their officers.

The Government inspector said council objections were not supported by analysis or reasoning' and that the council's refusal amounted to unreasonable behaviour'.

The council has had to pay Taylor Woodrow £91,733 in costs, on top of its own £17,716 expenditure. In 2002 it had to pay almost £50,000 costs to former landowner Harry Rowlinson over the outline planning application.

Mr Rowlinson said: "It is unfortunate that the council, supported by members from the main opposition parties, chose not to take the advice of its officers and legal advisors and there have been considerable costs awards, not to mention the council's own planning and legal costs."

Clr Celia Jordan, chairman of the current planning committee, said: "It demonstrates how careful we should be with our deliberations. This is the cost of democracy."

The 214 homes are in the process of being built on Longbutt Lane. Half are affordable homes with a starting price of £164,000 set by Manchester and District Housing Association.

The detailed planning was refused in November 2004, then granted on appeal in November 2005.

A spokesman for Taylor Woodrow said: "We pursued our planning application because we fully held the belief throughout that we had proposed a fantastic scheme that excelled in all aspects."

Clr Sheila Woodwyatt, from Lymm, was one of the lead campaigners against the homes. She said: "We did our best but they have totally destroyed the field. I am very sad but the council has been wonderful in trying to save our fields.

The developers say, come to this wonderful, rural area of Lymm'. "Well it's not rural anymore, it's suburban."