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Secretary of State decides not to call in Zoo Plans

CPRE
 Cheshire
 Branch 
is
 most 
disappointed
 that 
the
 Secretary 
of
 State,
 Eric
 Pickles, 
has
 decided
 not 
to
 call
 for
 a
 public
 enquiry
 into
 the
 Chester
 Zoo
 expansion
 plan
.
 The
 zoo's
 biodome
 plan,
 to
 which
 CPRE
 has
 never
 made
 an
 objection,
 represents
 a
 unique
 development.
 However,
 the
 planning
 application
 represents
 massive
 scale
 new
 built
 development
 into
 100
 acres
 of
 Green
 Belt
 
 land,
 including
 new
 commercial
 development 
fronting 
the 
A41.



Surely
 proposals
 of
 this
 magnitude
 in
 the
 vulnerable
 green
 belt
 between
 Chester
 and
 Ellesmere
 Port
should
 have
 been
 examined
 at
 a
 public
 enquiry
 at
 which
 local
 people
 could
 be
 involved.
 
 This
 would
 have 
been 
a 
good 
demonstration 
of 
the
 government's 
policy 
of 
localism.


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