CULCHETH residents are celebrating a planning victory after developers saw their application for four homes on greenfield land thrown out.

August Blake wanted to build the properties adjacent to the historic Culcheth Hall Farm Barns but the blueprints were rejected despite being recommended for approval by Warrington Borough Council officers.

Cllr Matt Smith and Chris Vobe made representations on behalf of the community.

They felt the unadopted road that would have been used as an access point to the development was not wide enough to accommodate extra traffic.

Development control committee members were also concerned about the impact on the openness of the green belt and voted unanimously to reject the application

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Vobe said: "We were very pleased to support residents of Withington Avenue and Culcheth Hall Farm Barns at the planning meeting and we are equally delighted at the result.

"Protection of green fields and green belt land in our village is close to the hearts of many people. That is one of the reasons that this application was so strongly contested by the Culcheth community.”

Cllr Matt Smith added: "This result is a victory for common sense. It was very clear that a number of factors needed to be taken into consideration, including the access road, the increase in traffic along a narrow road, the impact on the street scene and the openness of the adjoining green belt.

"We are pleased that the committee rejected the officers’ recommendation and were persuaded by the strong arguments put forward by Culcheth people."