jane crossen [ / Compliance Unit
Places and Organisational Capacity
Westfields
Middlewich Road
Sandbach
Cheshire
CW11 1HZ
Tel: 01270 686605
Fax: 01270 529889
Email:
DATE: 1st June 2012 OUR REF: 804444 YOUR REF:
Dear Ms Crossen
Request for Information - Bewilderwood
Thank you for your request for information which I received on 9th May and which I am dealing with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Cheshire East Council is not directly funding the planning application itself which is submitted and paid for by Bidwells/Bure Valley. Cheshire East Council is however incurring approved pre-development costs related to surveys and appraisals required to satisfy Cheshire East Council’s requirements as to the viability of such a development as part of the wider Tatton Vision and also in relation to its need to provide information to the National Trust as land owner in respect to any potential development of the site.
The aspects that Cheshire East Council has paid for would be needed as part of developing the Tatton Vision either for any activity in the area of land to which this application relates or for development of any significant new attraction at Tatton. These surveys, appraisals and their findings have been used to verify, validate or seek amendments to proposals and were required both internally and for the National Trust (as owner of the land) in order to give consideration of any development in this area of the estate before deciding whether any proposal could progress. The survey/appraisal work has been undertaken with expenditure to date of £78792.60, relating to:
Ecology/conservation work and surveys
Topographical survey of the whole site
Tree surveys and mapping of them
Archaeology
Historic Landscape Impact
Traffic assessment/noise/pollution
With regard to the estimated cost to Cheshire East Council should this planning application succeed (with particular regard to the provision of utilities to the site, etc.), so far there has been no direct expenditure in relation to the provision of utilities except in relation to the service trench location being assessed as part of the overall ecology/conservation assessments and surveys listed above, in order to assess Environmental impact and consideration of service options. Should the project fail to gain planning permission and not be progressed further, the cost will be as spent so far plus any additional legal/administrative fees and some further ecological survey work still to be paid. The budget set aside for all pre-development work allows up to £240,000.
The cost, should the planning application succeed is that it will be cost neutral as the scheme will pay back any costs. Should the project succeed then the estimated cost of infrastructure works would be approximately £1.5m. This would be repaid with interest over the period of an internal loan.
The Bewilderwood application is part of the wider ‘Tatton Vision’ which seeks to develop an economically sustainable plan over six years to maintain and conserve Tatton Park in the long-term. Since 2011 the Tatton Vision has already delivered significant reductions in the net operating costs through a combination of efficiencies and income generation. Over the period of the ‘Vision’ programme Cheshire East Council is continuing to invest in Tatton park on an ‘invest to save’ basis to achieve a sustainable approach to ensuring its long-term conservation, its attractiveness to visitors and its significant economic contribution to Cheshire East.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review, under the Freedom of Information Act you should write to the Compliance Unit, Cheshire East Council, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 1HZ.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely
Rose Raine
Compliance Officer