Six sites could accommodate 2000 new homes in Alderley

As reported last week, Cheshire East Council has approved its official five-year housing land supply.

The SHLAA (Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment) is required by national planning policy, set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, and is a key component of the evidence base to support the delivery of sufficient land for housing; to meet the community's need for more homes; and to inform housing policy within the Cheshire East Local Plan.

It can also assist the Council in resisting applications for housing development in inappropriate locations.

The document identifies potential housing sites and assesses whether these sites are developable, how many housing units could be accommodated on them and when they could be delivered.

Six sites in Alderley Edge, which are currently without planning permissions, have been identified which could accommodate 2000 new homes. 569 of these are considered to be achievable in the next six to ten years.

The largest site is land at Ryleys Farm where Cheshire East says 1,460 homes could be built and land north of Beech Road which could accommodate 327 new dwellings.

The document, approved by the Cheshire East Council's Strategic Planning Board, includes all sites being proposed by landowners, developers and agents,

The site search has to be as wide ranging as possible, the Council is not allowed to pick and choose which sites they wish to include in the study.

The SHLAA does not determine whether any site is acceptable for future housing development, as that will be determined through the Local Plan, it does not mean that any site included will be granted planning permission or that any site not included cannot come forward for development in the future.

The following sites, currently without planning permission, were identified in Alderley Edge as being achievable and deliverable:

Land North of Beech Road for 327 dwellings, 125 in years 6-10 and 202 in years 11-15.
Land to the east of Heyes Lane for 14 dwellings in years 6-10.
Land off Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge for 103 dwellings, 90 in years 6-10 and 13 in years 11-15.
Land off Heyes Lane for 96 dwellings, 90 in years 6-10 and 6 in years 11-15.
Land at Ryleys Farm (North East) for 293 dwellings, 125 in years 6-10 and 168 in years 11-15.
Land at Ryleys Farm (South East) for 1167 dwellings, 125 in years 6-10 and 250 in years 11-15 with 792 remaining.

Cllr Frank Keegan said "The SHLAA is a document designed to counter arguments about what could go where and when; it is meant to reassure about land which cannot be included in future housing needs, but merely serves to excite the local residents. The Draft Local Plan shows what Alderley Edge's share of future housing demand is as part of the "smaller centres" contribution of 2,000 in the next 20 years. The sites above could deliver 2,000 on their own.

"When the Local Plan has gone through a public inquiry, the sums will be set in stone. Not quite in stone, but it will be very difficult to get planning approval because the housing needs can be met from identified sites elsewhere in CEC.

"Of course, the nature of public inquiries is that interested parties will argue for one course rather than another; by that I mean that one party will try to change the overall needs total, and will argue that a site in Alderley Edge should be included. However it is not a real worry that many changes will be made to the Local Plan, especially when considering Alderley Edge.

"The SHLAA indicates that a site may be "developable" at some stage, but it does not consider, at this stage, what the current conditions are. For example, the 14 Houses on Heyes Lane might not be a good idea if the application does not meet neighbourliness specs, or traffic specs. Just being in the SHLAA does not guarantee a successful application, it will be determined by the planning laws when the application is submitted."

The Council will now need to review this document annually to ensure that the list of potential sites is kept updated and the Local Plan is 'sound' according to the new National Planning Policy Framework.

Click here to view the draft version of the SHLAA.