Cash Payment Declined After Council Reverses Planning Permission Decision
A council has declined a cash offer linked to a planning permission reversal for a historic farmhouse rebuild
Earlswood, Shirenewton, Chepstow, Planning Permission, Affordable Housing
Earlswood: So, there’s this council that just turned down a cash offer after they changed their minds about a planning permission for a 200-year-old farmhouse. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, right?
Mike Wells wanted to rebuild Bushes Farm, but the council initially said no. They thought the old building was too far gone to save. But then, surprise! They had to reconsider because one of the committee members had briefly dropped off the video call during the vote.
When they took another look at it, they decided to approve the rebuild. Mr. Wells even offered to chip in some cash for affordable housing, which some folks thought could be around £30,000. But when it came back to the committee, the head of planning, Amy Longford, said they should politely decline that offer.
She explained that since they were now calling it a “rebuild,” the council’s rules didn’t require any cash for affordable housing. One councillor, Su McConnell, was all for moving on without any money changing hands, even if it was for a good cause.
Another councillor, Tony Eason, suggested Mr. Wells could help out the local community center instead. Meanwhile, Louise Brown wanted to make sure the council would enforce some conditions, like restoring a meadow that had been messed up during construction.
Longford assured everyone that if the land wasn’t restored, they’d take action. She even mentioned that Mr. Wells was in the room and promised to sort things out quickly. It’s a bit of a tangled web, but it looks like they’re trying to keep things above board.