Plans to convert former Sunday school buildings in Macclesfield into seven apartments and a separate one-bed home have been recommended for approval, on condition drainage issues are resolved.

The former Sunday school site on Townley Street, houses two existing buildings and has been vacant since 2019.

An application to bulldoze the properties to make way for eight, three-bedroom town houses was refused by Cheshire East two years ago and the subsequent appeal dismissed on matters relating to heritage and flood risk.

The lead local flood authority (LLFA) has objected to this latest proposal because of the absence of a detailed and suitable sustainable surface water management scheme.

And the application has been called in by ward councillor Liz Braithwaite (Lab) to be considered this week by the northern planning committee.

Cllr Braithwaite has raised several concerns about the proposal including:

• it is unclear how the applicant intends to deal with a possible burial ground on the site;
• arrangements for waste storage and collection;
• lack of parking provision;
• the lack of outside amenity space for the number of potential residents;

One letter has been sent to the council by a neighbour in support of the scheme.

A report from the council's planning officer to this week's meeting says the provision of additional housing in a sustainable location is welcomed in the absence of a five-year housing land supply.

It says the change of use would re-use a vacant building deemed to represent a non-designated heritage asset.

It adds: "There would be some harm for future occupiers with regard to outlook from the windows that serve habitable rooms at ground level to the rear of the main Sunday school building.

"However, the living spaces to these homes, the area within which the majority of the future occupiers time is likely to be spent, would be afforded outlook."

It says the the lack of any on-site parking does weigh against the proposal, 'but given the very sustainable location of the site, the weight attached to this is limited.'

With regard to the outstanding objection from the LLFA and the absence of a surface water drainage scheme, the officer says: "This needs to be addressed prior to determination to ensure that the development proposal does not present a risk from flooding to potential occupiers, users, or visitors, and does not increase flood risk elsewhere."

Because of this the recommendation is for the committee to delegate the application back to officers, to approve the decision subject to the satisfactory resolution of the outstanding flooding/drainage issues.

The northern planning committee meeting takes place at 10.30am at Macclesfield Town Hall on Thursday 29 October.