A proposal to build up to 250 houses on Green Belt land on the outskirts of Alderley Edge has angered local residents.
Cheshire East Council is currently developing a new Local Plan, which will form the basis of planning decisions until 2030, and as part of this process a consultation has been running this month on 27 additional sites, proposed by developers and land owners, which have not featured in any previous stage of the local plan.
Amongst these additional sites is Green Belt land to the north of Beech Road, which has been submitted on behalf of the landowners, Val Sims and her two brothers Alan and Dudley Wain, for the development of between 200 and 250 dwellings.
Cllr Mary Maczkowiak, who has lived on the neighbouring estate all her life said "I have been out and about on the estate and people are extremely unhappy."
The consultation on the 'Potential Additional Sites Proposed by Developer and Land Interests' started on May 3rd and finishes today, Thursday 30th May.
Cllr Mary Maczkowiak added "The consultation period is not long enough, we have been allowed less than a month.
"We are going to have to get organised, we need a group that is more vocal. Wilmslow and Handforth have got themselves organised to save their Green Belt.
"I'm scared because I think this is going to happen. I have a strong feeling this land is earmarked. I think a decision has already been made but there will be one hell of a fight. People are very angry."
She added "If there are 250 houses, each with 2 cars, that's 500 cars coming up Heyes Lane. I can't believe they would even consider it. The estate won't tolerate another 100 cars let alone 500.
"There are two fields, one is in Alderley Edge and the other is in Wilmslow, White Barn Brook divides them. If they build on these two fields then it will be ribbon development. If they allow that then nothing will stop them from building right up to Wilmslow because it sets a precedent."
David Carey and his wife, who live on The Circuit, are amongst those angered by this proposal. They spent the weekend delivering leaflets to over 700 homes to alert residents to the consultation.
David told me "We are not happy about any changes to this land and building on it would be a disaster from an infrastructure point of view. We canvassed a lot of people and every single person we handed a leaflet to is unhappy about it.
"It is ridiculous that they considering changing Green Belt land to building land."
Roger Birch, whose garden backs onto the land, has highlighted that the field has a tendency to flood (shown in the picture above which he took towards the end of January this year) and suffers from subsidence.
He told alderleyedge.com "My parents moved into this house in January 1947 just before I was born in the April. I remember playing in the field there as a child when it had been planted with wheat. However, as I've included in my objection to Council, a pond - locally referred to as the 'Black Pit' (my eldest brother was 7 when we moved here and he talks of it) - was filled in in the early 1950's and that coincided with the land starting to subside such that by the mid 1960's, I do not recall it being used for wheat any more.
"I migrated to Australia in 1971, but my mother has remained in the house until she died recently and my wife and I have now moved in for a while. I have had a number of visits during the past 40 years and it was during those visits that I saw flooding for the first time. I notice now that there has been an attempt to insert some form of drainage, but just by line of sight I would suggest it is lower than the brook."
Alderley Edge Parish Council has objected to the proposal to build between 200 to 250 new homes on the 10.88 hectare site on the grounds that:
- The site is in Green Belt and the site performs at least one of the main purposes of the green belt and that is to prevent towns and villages merging. Through the site is the Whitehall Brook and to the left of the brook is Alderley Edge and to the right of the brook is Wilmslow, so in one proposal it seeks to merge within the Green Belt the land of Alderley Edge and Wilmslow.
- The additional consultation has allowed less than 1 month and the Parish Council do not regard that as a suitable time span for the consultation. It was unfortunate that the council leader Michael Jones was seen to promote this site in the local press before the original local plan consultation. This speedy consultation now is causing great angst among the residents of Beech Road that this site has been agreed even before consultation.
- Government policy on Green Belt - Section 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework is titled 'Protecting greenbelt land'. The document states that the boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. This proposal is not an exceptional circumstance.
- Infrastructure
- a) 250 houses in Alderley Edge would be a 10 % increase in the local population, such an increase would put pressure on medical facilities and the excellent local primary school, which is already at capacity.
- b) 250 houses would release at least 500 cars onto an inadequate road network in that area. The land is bordered by the railway to one side and to a low grade lane on the other side. If this site were to be allowed 500 cars would cause chaos along Heyes Lane and the local housing estate roads at peak travel times.
- c) The site is known locally as an inadequately drained site, the locals feel that any permitted development on this site will cause flooding on their properties. The site already has long established local rights of way across the site.
- d) Paragraph 84 of the NPPF states local authorities should consider the consequences of sustainable development and this development is not sustainable.
Back in September last year I revealed on alderleyedge.com that a proposal had been put together for a new 100-acre country park called 'The Meadows' to be built on Green Belt land, to the north of the proposed housing development, between Alderley Edge and Wilmslow.
Val Sims and her brothers Alan and Dudley Wain, who own 160 acres of land east of the A34 bypass, produced a document outlining their plans to build houses on part of the land to the north of Beech Road in return for creating a country park which would include a community woodland, lakes, grassland trails, cycle tracks, hiking trail and wildflower meadows as well as an area for green gym sessions and outdoor fitness.
Val Sims told me "We prepared the country park document to encourage discussion and to demonstrate how such a proposal could come forward for the benefit of residents of both Alderley Edge and Wilmslow. It would be an appropriate use of the Green Belt and would help to provide accessible, usable green space between the two settlements.
"The potential residential land to the south has, for quite some time, been included within Cheshire East Council's housing land availability assessment as a developable site. As you know, it has now been put forward for Consultation - Cheshire East Local Plan - Additional Site Options Proposed By Development & Land Interests."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I think the country park idea is a good one but would the land owners be remotely interested in this proposal on its own if the millions were not to flow in from the building!!
Seems like a little taster or sweetener eh!!
Another point to consider is the fact that Cheshire East own a massive amount of land bounding the by-pass.This will be sold off,so why not use this as it has a readily available access and will not clutter other areas of Alderley with unwanted traffic,which is what the by-pass was built for.
The by-pass was built to relieve congestion in and around the village,this building scheme will have the opposite effect and totally recongest the area.
You are partly right to say that we (as a Borough) cannot just say no to house building.
HOWEVER, the whole point of the Draft Local Plan is that Cheshire East identified a need for 27,000 houses. Then it produced areas where development is possible and they amount to 50,000 houses. The 50,000 was considered and reduced to suitable sites for the 27,000 houses. This site was not suitable to build any of the 27,000 : this site is added because the Planning Consultants want it considered, and Cheshire East are now just adding it to the list, they will receive comments and they will produce the comments at the Local Plan PublIc Inquiry. In all probability the Public Inquiry will confirm the original Cheshire East list.
Cheshire Planning on BBC2 is Cheshire West - nothing to do with Cheshire East.
Last April the DCLG released a report detailing their revised population growth figures for the UK, based on these Cheshire East Council should reduce their requirement from 27,000 to 20,000.
In addition as the Local Plan covers the years 2010 to 2030, some 9,000 new houses have ALREADY been approved (or are under construction) in the period March 2010 to March 2013.
Cheshire East Council therefore only need a Local Plan that identifies sites for further 11,000 new houses.
These are facts that they are currently choosing to ignore.
Further, in order to release any Green Belt land for development they will have to JUSTIFY their reasons for doing so.
East, West does it matter? My point was that planners are encouraging/recommending for approval, building on green belt land. To use the argument that its green belt land so you cant build on it, I believe, is futile.
Roger I have viewed property on Duke Street that have waterlogged gardens and I was led to believe that the housing around Beaufort close are built on "rafts". There would be a knock on effect from any construction but I doubt the planners will reject the proposal on this alone. According to my insurer my home on Heyes Lane is within a flood plane?!
Who is heading up the action committee?
We formed in September last year to oppose development on Green Belt land and we have regular communication with other local residents groups which enables us to share our knowledge, experience, correspondence and information on the latest developments at Cheshire East Council, and, keep up to date on the latest Government legislation.
Well done to Dave, Dee and Mary for all the hard work leafletting the area.
If this is a "done deal " then i hope those responsible will hang their heads in shame if this plan goes through .
Every Council undertakes a "Housing Needs Assessment" - it is a pretty standard formula, and if a Council has not done the Assessment, they will lose at Appeal, and developers will be allowed to build on Green Belt.
The Cheshire East assessment was that they needed 27,000 houses. They have given permission for around 7,000 houses, so, over the next 20 years, they need to build 1,000 houses per year. That is what the Local Plan Consultation is about; it would be a pretty fundamental mistake to have the Needs Assessment wrong, but I do not believe they have.
Agreed, Cheshire East's assessment WAS that they needed 27,000 houses, PRIOR to the new projected houses needs published by the DCLG in April 2013, which should reduce that number to 20,000.
They have given permission (we have the figures from CEC themselves) for 9,000 houses between March 2010 and March 2013, thereby the actual need is 11,000.
In addition CEC have not justified the need to use Green Belt land, an opinion shared by Planning Officers from neighbouring LA's, ex Chief Planning Officers, and other officials and Councillors within Cheshire East Council itself.
In Handforth and Wilmslow alone there's well over 400,000 square feet of empty office and warehouse premises, some of which have never been occupied and have stood empty for years. There are also vacant brownfield sites that could be used.
I am sure you are aware of Erik Pickles statement to Parliament on the 9th May;
"New permitted development rights will allow change of use from offices B1(a) to homes (C3) to provide new homes in existing buildings. This gives a clear signal to owners, developers and local planning authorities that we want underused and outdated offices to be brought back to life, and provides an excellent opportunity to create much needed new homes."
We certainly do not want CEC to fail when the Local Plan goes before the Inspector, the cost will ours, the ratepayers, however, they will do so if they continue on their current path.
Buy "bandage futures" - there will be a great need for bandages when the Inquiry starts, because all the consultation is premised on 20,000!
There's an interactive green belt map here:
http://bit.ly/SdQqFu
South of Jodrell Bank - there's none at all until you reach Stoke-on-Trent's green belt land south of Congleton.
Fortunately the leader of CEC put his thoughts on record:
http://bit.ly/HLhHep
"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."
At the Strategic Planning Board meeting held by CEC on 1st May the agenda included approving the latest consultation of the additional sites put forward as part of the Local Plan.
Five people, including a former chief planning officer, the wife of the former Chief Scientist at Astra Zeneca, and a local Councillor all requested the Astra Zeneca site be included in this consultation during the public speaking. When the Councillor suggested including the site, Michael Jones, leader of CEC, said "no, no, no" and "preposterous" and had to be told to be quiet by the Chairman.
Not only was the site not included, it was not even discussed or debated by the members of the committee.
It may come as no surprise that the Deputy Leader, Councillor David Brown, is Strategic Communities Portfolio Holder.
So let's have another by all means but without the housing-er, not so financially attractive now is it!!!!
Mr Jones, look at your maps, the majority of the houses would be built in Wilmslow so the so called park would not create a break between Alderley and Wilmslow at all. So get towards the Cemetary and use your own available land with great access to the by-pass and outskirts of our village.
What is a Country Park? It could well include motor-bikes, gheto-blasting picnicers and their litter, Caravans, boats with outboards, if there's water, as well as all the swings and roundabouts
and the attendant rez-a-mat-taz. This suggestion is obviously made as a sop in the hope that the word 'Country' will lull us all to sleep.
Who is going to run and police it anyway? It would wardens as well as rules and regulations,
What about the traffic and car-parking?
We already have a perfectly good Park.
You suggest cheshire council should use land on theA34 Alderley Edge bypass so does that mean ruining the green belt around Nether Alderley and perhaps tuning that into a housing estate and a 'new town'. Why cant we just leave green belt as it , Green!