Country park could be built between Alderley and Wilmslow

by Lisa Reeves

Thursday 12^th April 2012

Thu 12^th Apr 2012

Plans to create a new country park on Green Belt land between Alderley Edge and Wilmslow are being considered by Cheshire East Council (CEC).

Val Sims and her two brothers Alan and Dudley Wain, own approximately 150 acres of land west of the A34 bypass, located between Horseshoe Farm and Wilmslow High School playing fields.

The siblings have met with Cllr Michael Jones and CEC officers to explore the possibility of transferring a large part of this land to the Council for a country park to be created, in return for allowing them to use the rest of the Green Belt land for housing.

The land has been owned by the family of dairy farmers for almost 40 years and is currently farmed by them.

To the north of the site there is a Conservation Area and the suggestion is that this could be extended into the park where walkways, cycle and bridle paths would be created. Initial ideas include a lake and wetland area, providing an opportunity for canoeing and fishing, as well as building a bird viewing platform and extending the existing allotments, to the north of the site, into the park area.

In the area to the south of the country park, adjacent to the existing housing estate in Alderley Edge, new homes could be built which Mrs Sims said would "cater for the needs of all sections of the community and could meet the current and future needs and aspirations of Alderley Edge".

Val Sims added "We have no fixed ideas on the amount (of land to be transferred), as this would be part of the discussions with the Council. We are 'just floating the idea' at the moment and we are not sure what the next stage of the discussions will be.

Councillor Michael Jones, who is set to become leader of Cheshire East Council next month, mentioned the idea at a meeting of the Wilmslow Business Group last month.

He said "We've been offered a country park which would be the first one built on the country in 30 years, can you imagine a country park between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge? Some people want to build houses on Green Belt which we wouldn't normally allow so they are tempting us with a sweetener."

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: "No formal proposal for a country park between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge has been made – it is, however, part of wide discussions about the future of Wilmslow.

"The Council has been approached by a number of landowners in the area with interesting proposals. One idea has been, for example, for the creation of more country park spaces. This, alongside other representations, will be part of the ongoing discussions that will shape Cheshire East's Local Plan."

What do you think about the prospect of having a large country park built between Alderley Edge and Wilmslow? Share your views via the comment box below.

Tags:: Cheshire East Council

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Ricky Lee

Thursday 12^th April 2012 at 4:40 pm

I have looked on the map and not clear where it will be.
It would be very helpful for everyone if there is a map with the section proposed for the country park and the section proposed for housing highlighted.

Jon Williams

Thursday 12^th April 2012 at 8:37 pm

Good news that, maybe now a safe cycle path can be made so that children can cycle to Wilmslow High School from Alderley Edge, it would be great to see more children cycling to school.

Mark Hillyard

Friday 13^th April 2012 at 9:27 am

With agricultural land at roughly £10 - £20k per acre and development land costing millions per acre the "generosity" of the land owners has to be questioned. I am not against new housing and even can see that some "green" areas will need to be used. Despite what the NIMBY's feel the community does need to build new houses. However, since it is the council and by extension the community which determine what is green belt and what becomes development land it should be the community which benefits from this change in status.not the landowner on what amounts to a massive windfall. If the council wants the land then buy it as agricultural land, if necessary on a Compulsory Purchase Order and sell it as development land using the gain for the community. Only farmers can really buy agricultural land so I don't see why farmers should not be restricted to only being able to sell agricultural land - after all didn't there used to be an old saying - "Keep Britain Farming"!!

Mike Norbury

Friday 13^th April 2012 at 9:45 am

so basically we have a "country park" in return for a nice big housing plot on green belt land which will nearly see alderley edge and wilmslow merged into one big suburb of manchester?
as for cycle way to school the same old main roads we all cycled on to the same schools are quieter now due to the by pass. i feel this is a dangerous plot to build away on the green belt yet again.

Mark Dermody

Friday 13^th April 2012 at 12:21 pm

Mark sums this up perfectly. This is setting a dangerous precedence for wealthy land owners to circumvent planning regulations by, in essence, bribing the council. What are Emerson going to come up with? I would like to know if the proposed homes to be built are affordable housing for first time buyers / essential workers (teachers, nurses, firemen etc) or the multi million pound "arts & crafts" monstrosities that are being replicated in the area?
Where will the £millions come from to turn these green open spaces into a country park? Do we really need more green open spaces, I thought we had plenty!

Dina Robinson

Friday 13^th April 2012 at 2:23 pm

I think that the Wain family have cottoned on to the fact that the children of Alderley Edge have been using their land as a "country park" for years already and have recognised an opportunity to make some money out of it!
As a child i spent many happy hours in those fields with my friends. We built dens, climbed trees, built dams in the brook, fished for sticklebacks etc.. All the hedgerows were in place then and my father taught me about our native plants and birds etc.. We could spend all day "down the fields" in those days and arrived home safely, allbeit muddy and soaked wet through sometimes! Since then my children and now my grandchildren have played in those now much larger fields.

Steph Walsh

Friday 13^th April 2012 at 7:42 pm

Mark, I doubt they will be houses that teachers, nurses or firemen can afford. I don't think I've seen a house up for sale at £40,000 since 1999 when I was at the uni.

Saturday 14^th April 2012 at 11:06 am

Its doubtful that any land in private hands would be for low cost housing. Developers tend to work on thirds, third for land, third for building and a third for profit. So if you want to reduce the cost of new housing - reducing the cost of the land allows you the flexibility of building a much lower costed development even if the developer funds it. So the point remains why allow farmers to development land? Farmers enjoy various subsidies and benefits to land not available to the rest of us, this was to help promote agriculture for the country and encourage stewardship of the countryside which is fair enough. But to effectively abuse those benefits and expect to develop and profit from developing farmland for housing seems unfair and more importantly unnecessary. As already mentioned by Dina the public already has enforceable access to the area via footpaths so what exactly would we get in return for effectively handing them millions on plate apart from a nice sign saying "Country Park"

Alan R Davies

Sunday 15^th April 2012 at 11:35 am

If the owners of this agricultural land are prepared to sell it to the council at agricultural pricing, I'm sure it would make an excellent country park. In the meantime we are fortunate to have the National Trust land on the Edge and at Styal, and the Carrs and Lindow Common on our doorstep. I don't think that the need for an extra country park is sufficient to justify building housing on green belt land.

Terry Bowes

Wednesday 18^th April 2012 at 3:31 pm

I think if you look back a fair few years ago there was a plan to do exactly the same by building low cost housing at the back of what was the council estate in exchange for the same as is being offered now!
What would the response be if they said the houses were to be built at the other end of the area and a nice country park ran from the rear of the Old Estate and the Circuit.
It does't take a lot of imagination does it !!!

Nicholas Brooks

Wednesday 18^th April 2012 at 10:12 pm

The existing country park on Alderley Edge attracts a large number of visitors every year. What would be the impact of this development on the beautiful view from the Edge? I suspect it would eclipse that of the tennis court that was built without planning permission and which rightly attracted so much disapprobation.

Mitra Badreh

Thursday 19^th April 2012 at 4:22 am

I think it would be great

Sarah Mason

Thursday 19^th April 2012 at 11:18 am

I live on the Circuit and my house backs onto the Tennis Club and the fields behind. We bought our house purely because there were no houses behind us and we were not overlooked! Now land owners want to put houses and a park behind us - absolutely not! I bet these land owners live in a detached house, with a lovely view - how would they like houses being built overlooking them! Alderley Edge is turning into a 'concrete jungle' - can we not have any landscape left!

Sarah Dalton

Friday 20^th April 2012 at 10:53 am

We have enough countryside around Alderley Edge, and surrounding areas Do we need a "country park" which is probably a smokescreen for more housing, multi million pound housing no doubt so that the building companies can make even more profit to line their pockets.
As Sarah Mason says lets not turn it into a 'concrete jungle'

David Carey

Friday 4^th May 2012 at 5:29 pm

I agree with Sarah Mason we bought our house on the Circuit because of the lovely situation. To have houses built on green belt land is a farce. The comments about it being a smoke screen for housing are true and yet again we see that residents of Alderley Edge are in dnager of losing their green spaces which are in peril by greedy people and developers who want to get richer!