PLANNING chiefs have been warned failing to defer a decision over an ‘eyesore’ fence will have ‘implications’.

As reported in April, residents were prevented from parking on land used for that purpose for more than 30 years after developer Satnam erected the structure, on Birch Avenue.

An appeal against the council’s decision to refuse Satnam’s plans for 1,200 homes on nearby Peel Hall was dismissed in December.

And Satnam’s bid to keep the fence in place will come before the development management committee (DMC) at the Town Hall on Wednesday.

The scheme has been recommended for approval by officers.

The application has been called in by Cllr John Kerr-Brown (LAB – Poplars and Hulme), who says the proposals for the ‘poorly constructed’ fence should not be considered until the ownership of the land is determined.

Planning documents say the council’s estates management team is ‘waiting on’ a transfer document from Homes England to ‘ascertain ownership’.

But committee members have been told they will be ‘advised’ over the outcome of the investigation into the matter.

Geoff Settle, a former DMC member and Mayor of Warrington, has joined Cllr Kerr-Brown in expressing concerns over the proposals.

He said: “A postponement needs to take place and information verified so that a decision can be properly made.

“Failure to do so has implications. Not just for this application but for others.

“This is happening all too often in Warrington, especially in the cases of trees being felled ahead of an application.”

Resident Tina Dutton described the fence as an ‘eyesore’.

A fence up to a metre high can be constructed without planning permission – however, the structure on Birch Avenue is 1.4 metres high.

A Satnam spokesman said: "We note the recommendation for approval and we have supplied the relevant ownership information demonstrating that Satnam is the landowner to the local planning authority when requested."

In April, the developer said the fence had been erected on its land as far as it was ‘aware’.