Cheshire East Council launches a six-week consultation on its revised Local Plan Strategy tomorrow – offering the public the opportunity to have their say on the changes that have been made.
The finalised blueprint will shape development across the Borough up to 2030.
The consultation will run from Friday, 4th March to Tuesday 19th April 2016, and follows the plan's approval by full Council on February 26th.
The focus will be on the changes the Council now proposes to the plan it originally submitted to the Secretary of State in May 2014. This includes additional and amended strategic site allocations.
The Council is then due to submit the Local Plan Strategy, with any amendments, to the Planning Inspector in the summer (2016).
Councillor Ainsley Arnold, who is now overseeing the Local Plan process, said: "The Local Plan Strategy is the Council's most important tool for shaping development in Cheshire East up to 2030.
"The very positive views expressed by the Planning Inspector have enabled the Council to make amendments to our Local Plan with confidence and publish these for public consultation. This includes a comprehensive suite of development sites to accommodate the larger scale of growth now expected and planned for in the Borough.
"The Inspector has confirmed that he is content with the Council's proposed arrangements for public consultation on the proposed changes to the submitted plan.
"Following a period of full consultation during the next six weeks, further examination hearings are expected to be held in early autumn.
"There has been a tremendous response from residents and other stakeholders during nine previous rounds of public consultations on our Local Plan proposals.
"To date, we have received more than 40,000 responses to our draft Local Plan. This is an unprecedented amount of interest in a council consultation process and I hope this additional period of consultation will allow everyone to feel they have had time and opportunity to have their say.
"This must be one of the most-consulted on Local Plans in the country. However, given the changes made and the significance of the plan, it is only fit and proper that people are given a full opportunity to reflect on this document and give their views."
The updated evidence completed during the suspension of the Inspector's examination necessitated revisions to the main strategic policies relating to housing, economic growth, development and green belt. The wording of policies was amended to reflect the outcome of the new evidence. The key points included:
● Revisions to reflect a revised housing requirement of 36,000 homes (up from 27,500 and now including accommodation for older people);
● Increased employment land requirement, up from 300 hectares to 380ha, to reflect the stronger anticipated jobs growth rate of 0.7 per cent per annum (up from the original anticipated rate of 0.4 per cent);
● Revised spatial distribution of development, incorporating both the uplift in overall development and the need for additional growth in the northern towns;
● Increase in the amount of safeguarded land within green-belt areas to 200ha;
● Replacement of the new green belt between Crewe and Nantwich with a revised strategic green-gap policy.
These revisions were endorsed by the Council's strategic planning board and Cabinet before being voted through by full Council on February 26.
Every comment, objection or expression of support for the Local Plan has been recorded on the Council's consultation database – so they have a clear picture about what has been said so far on the plan.
The revised Local Plan proposes that 900 homes be provided in Wilmslow along with 10 ha of Employment land - an increase from 400 homes and 8 ha in the submitted plan.
The safeguarded land at Adlington Road) has now obtained consent and is under construction so to meet future needs additional allocations are proposed in Wilmslow, all of which require amendment of the Green Belt boundary.
It is proposed to maintain the allocation at Royal London for mixed use but to include land west of Alderley Road within the developable area. This will now provide for around 175 homes and 5 ha of employment land.
Further housing allocations are now proposed at Little Staneylands and Heathfield Farm. The former will accommodate around 150 homes on land off Stanneylands Road, situated adjacent to the Dean Valley. Heathfield Farm at Dean Row Road is located on the eastern edge of the town and will accommodate around 150 homes. It will be accessed by the existing roundabout. The remainder of this land; extending to some 9 ha towards Cross Lane will be safeguarded for future development after the end of the plan period.
A further area of safeguarded Land is proposed between Upcast Lane and Cumber Lane, this extends to approximately 15 ha, and it is proposed once again to allocate land west off the A34 close to Wilmslow High School for employment use.
The revised plan proposes that 2,200 homes be provided in Handforth along with 22 ha of Employment land. The proposals are for 1650 homes and 12 ha of employment land at the North Cheshire Growth Village, located off the A34 Bypass and bordered to the north by the A555 (Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road), and 250 homes on land at Sagars Road. 14ha of land south of the Growth Village is also proposed for safeguarding – for development after 2030.
Click here to see the Local Plan Strategy documents suite.
To register your views on the Local Plan Strategy Proposed Changes, visit the Cheshire East website pages on the Local Plan.
Alternatively, you can fill in a comment form at your local library, Cheshire East Council's headquarters in Sandbach or the customer service point at Macclesfield Town Hall.
Photo:
The front cover of the Local Plan Strategy Proposed Changes.
