An appeal against planning permission for new homes and a retail unit in Crosby has been dismissed.

Minister for Environment Food and Agriculture Geoffrey Boot accepted the planning inspector’s recommendation that the appeal should be rejected and the plans go ahead.

The application (17/00852/B) relates to the development of 28 homes at Ballaglonney Farm on Peel Road in Crosby and has proved divisive. The appeal came from Marown Commissioners which had appealed on several grounds including the size of the area dedicated to the estate sewage treatment works.

The commissioners said they feared this could be used later to ’accommodate a further terrace of dwellings’. However, Mr Boot dismissed their appeal.

Originally a planning application (16/01314/REM) for 21 houses with retail unit with car parking was partially approved. The retail unit was rejected at appeal.

However, the developer JM Project Management Limited later submitted an application for 28 houses along with a shop and office, in fields opposite Eyreton Terrace, near to the Millennium Hall and cricket ground in the village. The area size of that application also grew to include parts of other fields in order to build the required sewage treatment system.

As the Crosby sewage system is not yet ready to take on the added waste from the houses, a temporary on-site treatment plant is needed. The cost is being met by developers and once treated the water will be piped into the River Dhoo.

Under the dismissal of the appeal by Mr Boot, the developer has been told that conditions on the retail unit on the estate must also be followed. These conditions include no materials, equipment or items for sale being placed outside the shop.

Planners said this is to ’ensure all parking and access areas are available for the intended purpose’ and to ’preserve the visual appearance of the building’. They have also said the business may not open outside hours of 7am to 10pm.