An unnamed developer has expressed an interest in building around 50 new homes on Green Belt land to the west of Wilmslow Road, immediately opposite where Horseshoe Farm used to be located.
Councillor Craig Browne said "As things stand at the moment the land is enshrined in Green Belt and unless there are any changes to Part 2 of the Local Plan Strategy it will continue to be Green Belt. However, I was approached by a developer who had expressed an interest through the Local Plan consultation process.
"I explained my position that the land should remain Green Belt, however, if we are forced to accept development of circa. 50 new homes on that site then I said we would also want to see a long stay car park of circa 50 spaces included in any planning application and the developer has confirmed a willingness to accommodate this in the south east quadrant of the site adjacent to Wilmslow Road and Woodleigh Court.
He added "I think we should look to either put this out to community consultation early in the new year or possibly address it through the neighbourhood plan process."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
"AlderleyEdgeFIRST will put our Village people before politics Help us to elect 9 Parish Councillors on the 7th May and let’s make our Village better – together."
Do Cheshire East Council own this land?
Was it part of the compulsory purchase to facilitate the A34 bypass?
Who is the developer?
What Do the Parish Council Do?
• The Parish Council regularly meet to discuss local issues
• Support and encourage ongoing community engagement initiatives
• Maintain devolved assets at a local level
• Support the economic diversity and prosperity of the village
• Review planning applications and make comment as appropriate
I could be a little out of date but:
1. Planning authority is with the C.E. Councillors. The Planning Officers make
reccomendations to the Councillors.
I'd hate to think that there's any 'rubber stamping', but given the complex terminology of
the planning world ?
2. Planning applications affecting Alderley Edge are sent to the P.C's Clerk.
They may arrive from time-to-time, rather than in one bunch. They have been known to
arrive at the P.C. only a day or two before a decision is made !
3. The P.C. (or at least its planning committee) can suggest/reccomend back to the C.E.
Planners, but any objections will only be considered by the Planning Officers if those
objections are concerning planning rules/regulations/laws. Taste doesn't much come into
it.
4. My advice to any individuals who either wish to put forward their planning application or to
object to someone else's planning application (neighbours usually) is to bring all relevent
paperwork to a meeting of the P.C's planning committee (usually tacked on to the end of a
'normal' monthly meeting but sometimes, if there are a lot of applications, to a special
planning only meeting).
I don't know the 'rules' about this, but it used to be that the P.C. would let the individual/s
talk away and engage in dialogue.
The details that could be put forward by the individuals were always clearer than the 'dry'
summary of the Planning Application itself.
A 'supporting' or 'objecting' response by the P.C. was usually stronger where there was a
feeling by the Parish Councillors that the Planners may get it wrong.
5. You should be able to get sight of any planning documents, though they may be provided
in electronic form (you may still be able to have paper copies?).
A last word of advice: always check the measurements on the Planning Applications as it is 'surprising' how often there is an error !
There is existing planning permission (application no. 12/4353M) for the construction of 14 apartments at this site. Permission was granted on 01/10/13 with construction to commence within three years; however an application for a discharge of conditions (effectively an extension to the three year period) was submitted on 02/09/16, which has yet to be determined.
Kind regards,
Craig
Thanks for the update, I look forward to hearing the outcome
Regards
Roy
What are the special circumstances ?
Do Cheshire East Council own this land?
Was it part of the compulsory purchase to facilitate the A34 bypass?
Who is the developer?
Sorry, I don't always manage to follow the threads on here, as they sometimes go off at a tangent to the original article and develop a life of their own! Perhaps send me an email next time? ().
Basically, we can expect to receive an allocation of about 100 new homes through Part 2 of the Local Plan. It is not within mine or the Parish Council's gift to refuse this figure, but as a community we can, through a Neighbourhood Plan, have a say in where we want those homes to go.
To directly answer your questions, there are no special circumstances and unless we, the residents of Alderley Edge, decide through the Neighbourhood Plan that we would be prepared to see the plot of land off Wilmslow Road developed, there will be no planning application either.
Some people might consider accepting a development of, say, 50 homes in return for a 50 space car park to be a reasonable trade off, whilst other people might think the opposite. I was simply putting it out there as an option to be considered, rather than a proposal or recommendation.
If we take into account existing permissions, e.g. Yesterday's (12 bungalows), County Hotel (14 apartments) and Brook Lane (20 apartments), we are already close to half of our expected allocation; but, the rest of the allocation has to go somewhere and we will need to decide where that is.
The "somewhere" can be in the green belt, it can be infill development, or it can be at a brownfield site as yet unidentified. These are the challenges that we are trying to address, with the help of the community, through the vehicle of the Neighbourhood Plan.
With best wishes for Christmas & the New Year,
Craig
Thank-you for your comprehensive answer; it is so refreshing to get a response, compared to what went before you. Does the proposal for new homes on the Alderley Park site not completely cover the required number os new houses?
I'm still at a loss to see why CEC (Michael Jones) bought the piece of land opposite A-Z (where the Dobbies Garden Centre was proposed); to sell on to a developer? If one looks at the A34 corridor from Cheadle Royal to Monk's Heath the track record of CCC, MBC and CEC with regard to flogging-off compulsory-purchased fields is lamentable.
We should guard any remaining green gaps between Alderley and Wilmslow carefully, the gaps between Wilmslow/Handforth/Heald Green/Cheadle already are a lost cause, due to developer land-banking, it seems.
Thanks again.
Pete.
Your comment mentioned the fact that Alderley Edge would be likely committed to provide a 100 new homes and yet your answer does not seem to take into the account the 275 homes proposed for the Astra Zeneca site http://bit.ly/2iztWBO or indeed the 300 homes proposed as part of the bypass development http://bit.ly/2hNxqUa. There seems to be provision enough for the potential allocation of building 100 new homes (including the existing developments) without encouraging developers to find new pieces of green belt to develop. Can I also ask do you believe that any development which does not comply with the local/neighbourhood plan will actually prevent it happening in the future because it certainly has not in the past when decisions are taken to appeal.
Mark
Thanks for your query. Just to clarify that the Astra Zeneca site does not lie within the Alderley Edge Ward Boundary (in fact it lies partly within the Prestbury and partly within the Chelford Wards), but as a "windfall development" the proposals make a contribution to the overall allocation for "Local Service Centres" of which Alderley Edge is one. The revised version of the Local Plan identifies the land at Ryleys Farm as "making a significant contribution to the green belt" and does not make any provision for it to be developed; however, I do believe it is sensible for us to reinforce this position locally, through the vehicle of a Neighbourhood Plan.
Kind regards,
Craig