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by Lib Dem team on 13 April, 2010
We’ve received notification today that the planning inspector has rejected the developer’s appeal on Gatley’s Tatton cinema site.
Last year, the Council rejected the application for a small supermarket and a care home on the site and the developer appealed against the decision.
The inspector has decided that the appeal fails, and the Council’s decision to reject the application stands.
The main ground for rejection of the appeal was on amenity space for the care home – a somewhat technical argument about what counted as usable amenity space.
Other arguments put forward by others present, including myself, held some weight but were not considered sufficient to reject the appeal without the amenity issue.
I’ll write more on this when I’ve time.
10 Comments
Good news, but it would be great if we could find a proper community use for this site – I suppose a cinema is out of the question???
I am very upset at the Appeal decision. Well over 9 years since the Tatton closed and the site is become more of a wreck with every passing week. Heaven only know what vermin and dead vermin are inside. How much longer will we now have to wait until some positive solution can be found? This is not what the ratepayers (including shopkeepers) want to see in the heart of Gatley. No wonder people don’t shop here any more unless they have too. It is so depressing.
Alan – there isn’t money for the Council to buy the site, but if a private company wanted to buy it and turn it into a cinema, I’d be very interested. To be honest, though, I won’t be holding my breath.
Paula – I agree the current situation isn’t on – I hope we can find a better solution in the near future, though I’m under no illusions of it being perfect and suiting everyone.
Iain – thanks for the reply. It is very depressing hearing what residents would like the site to be turned into. It is taking a long time for people to realise that the Council don’t own the site and that therefore we are all in the hands of the developer. However I was amused to hear that a councillor called it “an historic building” – if that is historic I dread to think what I am!
This is my third attempt at a comment.
Why cant someone build a supermarket with an accompanying car park? Gatley residents have to put up with this eyesore everyday.
The word farce springs to mind.
Bruce – The answer, I think, is they can but they have to want to. The owners of the site don’t see a car park as making them much money. We’ve been working to do a deal that gets over that problem, but we aren’t there yet.
I agree completely with Paula. its “iconic” status is an absolute joke. Plans for a new cinema are ridiculous as are any ideas connected with community centres, libraries and public toilets. The owner of the site offered to build a car park in return for a land swap late last year. I believe he submitted plans for the frontage which included a Costa Coffee as well as a convenience store, but never received a reply from the Council. I expect the owner of the site to do absolutely nothing with it – wait for the price of land to rise and then try to dispose of it. Well done objectors – another nail in the Gatley coffin!
You’re right that plans were drawn up which included a car park, but mistaken about the Council’s response.
The car park option only arose in the first place because the Council suggested it and a great deal of time has been spent since then seeing if we can make it work (the main issue being that there has to be some land the Council owns and is willing to swap, and the developers want).
I’ve personally spent hours in meetings with the developers and Council officers looking at different options.
Right now there is still a lot of work going on at the Council to get the right deal for the Tatton.
I now read that the ratepayers of Gatley have to pay for the Appeal and no doubt have already paid for all the public meetings over the last two years. I am all for letting people have their say but this has been orchestrated by rabble rousers and for what purpose? A crumbling ruin with no architectural value, now covered in flyposters, parking places taken up by a car salesman and a hazardously pitted lay-by. No wonder this country is noted for being slow at getting anything done. This is democracy gone mad!
On the issue of payment, Stockport Council will cover a proportion of the cost of the appeal – an amount that I don’t think will be very high, but it’s to be agreed between the developers and the Council.