THE future of a new zoo near Holmes Chapel should be decided next week after animal rights campaigners won a legal challenge to have its planning permission overturned.

In July, Cheshire East’s southern planning committee unanimously approved the application from Zoo2U for the zoo to be based on land at The Orchards Farm (Bidlea Dairy) on Twemlow Lane.

This went against planning officers’ recommendations.

Now, after a legal challenge from Freedom for Animals quashed that decision, the application will be heard again – this time by the council’s strategic planning board on Wednesday.

Again, the council’s planning officers have recommended the application be refused.

One of the meerkats at the zoo One of the meerkats at the zoo (Image: Belinda Ryan, LDRS) The planning officer’s report to next week’s meeting states: "In moving to approve the now quashed decision they [southern planning committee] felt the location was appropriate, adjacent to the existing business of Bidlea Dairy and the balance of harm to open countryside favoured approval such that it complied with policy.

“The head of planning has exercised his discretion in accordance with the council’s constitution to present the application to strategic planning board (SPB).

“Given that members of SPB have not considered this application previously, they will be able to consider and determine the application afresh.”

The application seeks approval for use of the land for a zoo and wildlife conservation park including amenity buildings, visitor centre, animal enclosures, storage containers, access, parking and ancillary works.

The planning officer’s report states: “The proposal results in encroachment into the open countryside and would remove the open characteristics of the land and would have negative visual effects on the surrounding area.

“Furthermore, the proposal fails to make best use of existing infrastructure.

“The application is therefore recommended for refusal.”

It states the proposal would not cause harm to residential amenity, the highway network, ecology, the public right of way, or trees.

When the southern planning committee decided in July to approve the application, vice chair Andrew Kolker (Dane Valley, Con) had said: “To be brutally honest, I can't think of a better place to put a zoo like this.”

The application will be considered again by different councillors when the strategic planning board meets on Wednesday, November 20, at 10am at Crewe Municipal Buildings.