Like many councillors, not to mention members of the public, I’m not too enamoured with the planning system and its many faults and frustrations, but credit where it’s due – it can do the job.

Two recent examples in Cheadle:

• an advertising hoarding had been erected on the side wall of the Village Deli (next to the old BT building) without planning permission.  When a resident brought it to my attention, I put in a request to Planning Enforcement at the Council.  They gave the owner of the building a few weeks to take it down and down it came.
• Stockport Homes had erected a large sign in at the front of Queens Gardens.  A resident complained and planning looked into it.  In the end, Stockport Homes withdrew their planning application.  I checked a couple of months later and the sign was still there.  I let the planning department know and now it’s gone.

There are a few other planning enforcement issues Pam and I are pursuing – we’ll see how they go.