Housing development would set "catastrophic precedent"

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Over 100 people turned out on Saturday, 9th August, to demonstrate against plans for a new housing development on green belt land separating Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.

Residents are objecting to an outline planning application from Tesni Homes to develop 81 homes on a site off Welton Drive which has not been allocated for development in the Local Plan.

Local resident Hugh Burden said "If this planning application is successful it will set a catastrophic precedent meaning no green belt will be safe in Cheshire East and beyond.

"This could spell the start of speculative planning applications all over the borough for protected green belt land."

Local residents have been building a portfolio of objections to the proposed Welton Oaks development of 57 market homes and 24 affordable homes on the 10.4 acre site, which will be accessed off an extension to Welton Drive.

Hugh added "Leaving aside the inadequate access, pressure on local services and widespread local opposition to green belt development; the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Policy Guidance could not be clearer on this matter placing the onus squarely on the applicant to demonstrate "very special circumstances" that firmly outweigh the harm their proposal would demonstrably cause. They have not proven this. This application has the potential to make a mockery of the Wilmslow Vision, the Local Plan and by default Cheshire East Council.

He continued "Stockton Farm has been designated an important green belt buffer between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge and the applicant has not demonstrated special circumstances which could lead to the release of any protected green belt land. The local plan clearly sets out how Cheshire East will fulfill its housing needs over the next 25 years, there is no need to further develop precious and protected green belt land."

John Beardsell, Development Manager at Tesni Homes, said "In order for Wilmslow to flourish as a dynamic and sustainable town over the next Local Plan period the Council acknowledges that Green Belt boundaries need to be reviewed. It has proposed Green Belt sites around Wilmslow and Handforth and in the Core Strategy and has stated 'to achieve sustainable development over a period of several decades, some alterations to the detailed Green Belt boundaries around settlements in both the north and south of the Borough are necessary through this Core Strategy'.

"The Welton Oaks site is very well contained by existing housing and woodland and so its release will have minimal impact.

The site is very well screened and only forms a very small part of the barrier between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge. Its release from the Green Belt will not therefore make any significant contribution to the coalescence of settlements. For these reasons, we maintain that it is a preferable option when compared against the other Green Belt releases proposed around Wilmslow and Handforth by the Council."

He continued "In the original draft Town Strategy for Wilmslow the Council proposed 1500 new homes; this was subsequently reduced to 400 with the emphasis being shifted to new development in Handforth. We believe that the growth of Wilmslow, including affordable homes for local people, should be accounted for in Wilmslow rather than in Handforth as the two towns have their own distinct identities. We also believe the Council's proposals for the Handforth Growth Village are deeply flawed.

"We believe the inherent attributes of containment and screening make this site a preferable option when compared against the other Green Belt sites proposed for release by the Council. Our planning application demonstrates that Welton Oaks is a more sustainable, more deliverable and lower impact option than any other Green Belt site proposed in the area by the Council."

Cllr Rod Menlove commented "I'm totally opposed to this application for this land that is green belt and part of the open area separating Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.

"When the developers were suggesting this last November I was assured by CE Planning that it would fail the green belt test. I will enquire as to what, if anything has changed and am already in contact with local residents."

Cllr Menlove added "The application is scheduled currently to be considered by Strategic Planning on 17 September. Without doubt many residents will wish to comment and I urge them to do so before the cut-off date of 28 August."

The outline planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for reference 14/3338M.

The last date for submitting comments is 28th August and a decision is expected by 9th October.

Tags:
Planning Applications, Welton Drive, Welton Oaks
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