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A BAN on building new homes in the borough should be scrapped within days.

Macclesfield Borough Council is poised to change its policy and allow developers to build more than 400 houses each year.

That will be good news for Warrington-based Hillcrest Homes which wants to build apartments and houses in Norbury's Yard, Knutsford.

Last week officials delayed any decision about those plans because of the potential policy change.

Councillor Jamie Macrae, portfolio holder for planning and strategic development, welcomed the imminent change.

"The moratorium was imposed on us and it's caused a number of problems with delivering housing," he said.

More than four years ago the Government advised Macclesfield to ban developers from building houses until 2011.

It said the borough had reached its limit for new homes and officials should reject all applications until then.

Since then Labour has produced new figures, saying that Macclesfield can build more than 400 homes a year for the next 15 years.

The borough council has now organised a series of meetings to discuss the new guidance.

Its cabinet will then meet on Tuesday next week to decide whether to scrap the new housing moratorium.

Councillor Macrae said the ban would almost certainly be lifted.

"It would come into effect from the moment of the cabinet's decision," he said.

During the past four years the ban has caused problems for house buyers, developers and estate agents.

More residents have paid for their houses to be extended because of the shortage of properties.

Councillor Macrae said lifting the ban might not help villages that are surrounded by protected countryside.

But he said new housing could certainly be built in Knutsford.

"There are opportunities there and potential sites that could be developed," he said.

There have been some exceptions to the ban on new housing.

Developers have been allowed to create affordable and social housing, properties for farm workers and retirement flats.

Many homeowners have also been allowed to demolish existing properties and build others in their place.

Councillor Macrae said 1,000 houses had been built despite the ban.

"We've actually delivered a substantial number of properties," he said.

9:00am Saturday 17th May 2008

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