Council leader defends plans for new village at Handforth

Cheshire East Council will publish their Core Strategy document later today, revealing which sites have been selected as potential strategic sites for development.

Included in this document is the controversial proposal to build a new village on Green Belt land to East of Handforth, referred to as the North Cheshire Growth Village. The site, which is located off the A34 Wilmslow-Handforth Bypass and on the edge of Cheshire East, will provide 1,650 new homes and 12 hectares of employment land.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, has defended these plans saying the creation of a new community East of Handforth is the right thing to do – both in respect of the future growth and development of the Borough and in terms of the protection of green belt.

Cllr Jones said "In the preparation of our Local Plan we are faced with a challenge – we need to contribute to the national growth agenda and secure the future prosperity of our area – whilst still protecting and conserving those things which we cherish and make Cheshire East such a special place. The debate over development in the north of the Borough brings this into particular focus.

"In the past the green belt boundary has been drawn especially tightly around our towns and villages, reflecting the priorities for urban regeneration prevalent at the time. In the current era we have a new and different national framework – one that aims to secure the jobs and homes that we all need - and so we need to react in a different way as a response.

"This means we need to amend green belt boundaries to accommodate that growth. The pressing question is of course where and how? As a Council we have been faced with two alternatives – to scatter development in small pockets across a wide area of green belt where its impact will be felt far and wide – or to consolidate it as far as possible where its impact will be focussed and limited – and where we can also plan properly for the future.

"In many respects diffusing development is the easy option – it "spreads the pain", it is the least line of resistance. But I believe it is also the wrong option for a number of reasons:

All development, big or small has impacts, these are much harder to mitigate with a scattered approach
Although localised developments are smaller in scale, the overall effect is to reduce the openness of the green belt over a much wider area.
Scattered development places a strain on existing community facilities and the current transport network – without necessarily being large enough to implement proper solutions.
All development in the north of Cheshire will impinge to some degree on our neighbours In Greater Manchester – with diffuse development those impacts are much harder to gauge and plan for.
If we did not build a new community east of Handforth we would still have to provide for around 1,600 to 1,800 homes in the Wilmslow area.

"Some have suggested that this concentrated development should take place in Macclesfield. To some extent I agree; we need to support the growth and prosperity of our second largest town. But that is not necessarily a substitute for providing growth in other locations where it is needed – and where it can dovetail with other significant growth areas, such as Manchester Airport.

"I recognise that our proposed new community East of Handforth will have a major impact locally on the green belt. But it can also do much more – as a comprehensively planned community it can bring multiple benefits to future residents, visitors and businesses.

"The urban environments that people enjoy today are the places that "work" – where transport and land use is coordinated, where parks and public spaces are properly laid out and where the architecture has a distinctive sense of style.

"All of these things are possible when we create a new community – a new place for people to live and grow – that will be fit not only for our coming century, but one that will endure as a pleasant place to live and work for generations to come.

"Consequently whilst I believe we need to protect what is best about our Borough – we also need to build distinctive environments that our descendants will treasure. I'd like all residents to join us and share this vision for a better future for us all."

Critics of this proposal have pointed to the fact that Cheshire East owns this land and therefore stands to make a lot of money from its development.

Cllr Jones commented "Yes it is land owned by Cheshire East which means that residents get the value from it, that's not the reason we are doing it but if we go anywhere else developers get the profit. More importantly we can add in a new structure for primary and secondary schools, we can reinforce Wilmslow High and make things work very cleverly."

Some changes have been made to this propsal since the draft Core Strategy was published.

Cllr Jones explained "With further negotiations and submissions made we have put a green barrier which includes where the ponds are. We accept people want to walk their dogs here, we have listened, we have also put a green buffer between the SEMMMS area so we don't develop up to that area.

"We are also looking to put a new roundabout in (top right of the site) and a road which will provide access onto the SEMMMS, which we are agreeing with Stockport Council. That will take pressure off the A34."

In a report prepared for its Area Committees, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has expressed significant concerns about the impact on infrastructure of this development, particularly in transport terms.

The report states "It is important to note that the SEMMMS A6-Manchester Airport Relief Road has not been designed to accommodate the specific impact of the North Cheshire Growth Village proposals and the existing funding in place does not allow for additional measures that might be required; in this regard the direct implications of the North Cheshire Growth Village proposal are of significant concern, as they are in relation to the already significantly constrained A34."

When asked about Stockport Council's concerns, Cllr Jones said "Stockport is a very important council in the area, we are very keen to work with Stockport. We tried very hard to meet agreement and hopefully we will meet agreement. The key point is we are all committed, whether at Woodford or at Handforth to maintain the green belt and also get the A555 SEMMMS put together. I think it's about the holistic view and I think there's a way forward - we support Stockport and its goals."

A number of local groups, including Residents of Wilmslow (RoW) and Hands off Handforth's Green Belt (HoHGB), are greatly concerned about the impact of the proposed North Cheshire Growth Village and are suggesting the new village should be developed in South West Macclesfield.

As a result of thier concerns, they have formed a combined group called The Northern Arc, of which Manuel Golding is chairman.

Manuel commented "South West Macclesfield provides the least offensive solution because it does not serve the purpose of a "gap" between the urban conglomeration and a rural community; it does not impinge on the character and identity of Gawsworth; is positioned to contribute significantly to the much needed regeneration of Macclesfield town centre and comes with its own traffic solution to the benefit of Macclesfield."

He added "The location is deemed to be acceptable to be safeguarded for development; would be able to take all the proposed Handforth East development; would ensure the Handforth/Cheadle/Bramhall Green Belt would continue to do its job; good Green Belt planning ensures development takes place well away from nearby conurbations and Cheshire East does not own this land!"

We will publish a link to the Core Strategy document once it is published on the Cheshire East Council website later today.