What's happened so far?

• Banks Developments submitted a planning application for the erection of the wind monitoring mast
• Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council rejected the application
• Banks Developments appealed against the Council's decision, citing a different location from that identified in the original planning application. The Planning Inspector ruled that the appeal had to be based on the original site location (Banks Developments later agreed that they had made an error)
• The Planning Inspector overturned the Council's decision
• Banks Developments erected the wind monitoring mast in the wrong location
• The Council enforcement officer requested Banks Developments to erect the wind monitoring mast in the correct location
• Banks Development agreed that they had made another error, dismantled the mast/rigging and erected it in the correct location at the end of January 2009
  

What will happen next?

The planning process is complex, and made more complex by the fact that decisions made by Cheshire East, The Planning Inspectorate and possibly the Courts may create several branches in the process.

We anticipate that the next stages of the process will be:

1. The wind monitoring mast collects data about wind patterns in the Bickerton area for a period of between 3 and 12 months. "Best practice" is usually 12 months, however, we anticipate that the developer will cut this period short
2. The developer submits a "screening report" to Cheshire East. The screening report states how the developer will proceed with the planning application; this is dependent on the size of the proposed industrial wind power station
3. The developer submits a "scoping report" to Cheshire East. The scoping opinion describes what issues must be addressed by the developer in the Environmental Statement (ES)
4. The developer submits the planning application for the industrial wind power station together with the ES to Cheshire East
5. The Cheshire East planning officers review the planning application and make their recommendations to the Development Committee
6. Members of the Cheshire East Development Control Committee consider the application and either approve or reject it
7. If they reject the application, the developer will appeal
8. An inspector is appointed to adjudicate and sets up a public enquiry
9. The inspector will either uphold the developer's appeal or uphold the Councillors' original decision
10. If the inspector supports the developer's appeal, there may be a judicial review

We will be taking advice from both our planning consultant and Cheshire East about the process and the above list of actions may, as a consequence, be updated as new information is received.

How will the planning decisions be made?