A sailing club has applied for permission to extend its clubhouse so it can provide changing facilities for families and disabled people.

Redesmere Sailing Club, off Congleton Road at Siddington, serves a catchment area primarily of Macclesfield, Congleton, and Wilmslow.

In a covering letter submitted to Cheshire East with the planning application, Commodore Jonathan Everett said:  "The small extension, of less than 40 square metres, will provide safeguarded family and disabled changing facilities, identified by our governing body, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), as a limitation in our current layout, whilst allowing us to maximise our existing facilities especially for our growing female sailing membership.

"The extension will also provide a training room, capable of being separated from the main room, to better support our busy schedule of education activities, associated with the outdoor sport and recreation of sailing. The training room space will also provide discrete emergency and first aid use."

The site lies within the Green Belt where policy states the construction of new buildings is inappropriate except in certain situations, which include the provision of appropriate facilities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation as long as it preserves the openness of the Green Belt.

Mr Everett said: "We submit that the facilities being provided by the extension are 'appropriate facilities' both for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation, and furthermore, given their location within the established existing sailing club site, and their limited scale they both preserve the openness of the Green Belt and do not conflict with any of the purposes of including land within it."

He added: "As a sailing club we are acutely conscious of our reliance on and responsibility for the area we inhabit. The extension is intended to provide enhanced facilities whilst minimising any possible visual and environmental impact."

A neighbour has written in support of the proposal saying: "After winning RYA club of the year in 2016, Redesmere Sailing Club have gone from strength to strength. This application deserves everyone's full support so they can provide proper changing facilities etc for disabled persons and families."

The application, number 23/1610M, can be viewed on the planning portal on the Cheshire East Council website.

The last date for submitting comments is May 31 and the application is to be determined by a planning officer under delegated authority.

A decision could be made by the end of June.

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