Well, that was a dramatic little planning pirouette. The controversial proposals for the CPS Centre in Culcheth were withdrawn just hours before Warrington Council councillors were due to make a decision, which is cutting it finer than a school-run parking manoeuvre outside Sainsbury's.
The plans involved changes to bike storage, bin storage and parts of the building itself. Officially, they did not ask for a change of use, but Warrington Council officers said a future intention for residential accommodation did "appear to be the case". In plain village English, many people looked at it and thought, "Come on now, we were not born yesterday."
The whole thing has been a sore point locally because traders at the centre were given eviction notices in February. That is not a minor footnote, it is the sort of thing that rattles a village, especially when local shops and services are part of what makes Culcheth feel like Culcheth rather than just another postcode with a Costa and a prayer.
Nearly 140 objections had been raised by residents and councillors, with locals planning to attend the meeting to make their concerns known. Credit where it is due, the community turned up, paid attention and did not let this slide quietly through the paperwork machine. For a village that can debate roadworks like a national emergency, this was focused outrage put to proper use.
The awkward bit is that council officers had recommended the scheme for approval in a report prepared before the meeting. That does not mean approval was guaranteed, but it does show why residents were worried. A previous plan for the site was rejected by the authority last year, so this was never going to be a cosy rubber-stamp affair.
Matt Smith, Labour councillor for Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft, said: "Our community really came together to fight this potential threat to the CPS Centre." He also said the disappointment was that the applicant left it until now to withdraw, when they could have done so weeks ago after seeing the objections come in. Hard to argue with that. Waiting until the eleventh hour may be legal, but it is hardly neighbourly.
Smith, who had been due to speak against the plans, added: "I'm sure there will be further applications in the future, but for now, it's fair to say our voices have been heard loud and clear." That sounds about right. Nobody should be pretending this is the end of the story, but for today, Culcheth has landed a solid community win.
The BBC's Kaleigh Watterson reported that the BBC has contacted the agent representing the owner for comment. As things stand, the plan is withdrawn, the objections have been noticed, and the CPS Centre remains firmly under the village microscope.