Cheshire East doubles down on zoo approval

After being forced by a legal challenge to reconsider Zoo2U’s application to construct a three-acre wildlife park in Holmes Chapel, the council greenlit the scheme for a second time.

Once more, the decision made at yesterday’s Cheshire East strategic planning board meeting was made contrary to officer recommendation.

Zoo2U’s plans to build a visitor centre with several animal enclosures on the Orchards Farm site had fallen afoul of the council’s planning officers due to its impact on the countryside.

Local councillors on the Cheshire East southern planning committee had decided that the downsides were outweighed by the zoo’s economic potential, approving the scheme in July.

The decision was challenged by activist group Freedom for Animals, who said that the council had not provided sufficient reasons to depart from officer recommendations. This sent the application back to committee.

This time, it was debated by the council’s strategic planning board. The board added on a condition to the application to enhance the landscape with additional planting. This, they argued, would reduce the impact on the countryside and justified the ignoring of the officer recommendation.

They also pointed out that the scheme was deemed appropriate for the area given that there were other businesses nearby – including a dairy farm that had received planning consent in 2022.

You can see the plans for the zoo by searching reference number 24/1108C on Cheshire East Council’s planning portal. The project team includes Daniel Matthias Architecture, Anser Ecology, Richard Lee Project Planning, and Professional Consult.