"Very important wildlife corridor" under threat from development of 200 homes

Local residents in the Stanneylands area have come together to express their extreme disappointment that Cheshire East Council is proposing to build 200 properties on a site of "unspoilt green belt" which they consider to be a very important wildlife corridor and home to hundreds of species of wildlife.

Dr Nigel Stones who has lived in Carlton Avenue for almost 30 years is a passionate naturalist and keen birdwatcher who has been monitoring the birds, mammals and moths in the immediate environment for years. He has also performed surveys for the book 'Breeding Atlas of the Birds of Cheshire' whilst other members of the action group participate in the annual RSPB garden watch.

Dr Stones, a local GP and member of the Little Stanneylands & Dean Valley Neighbourhood Action Group, attended the Wilmslow Town Council meeting on Monday, 15th February, to request their support and ask them to make vigorous efforts to influence Cheshire East Council over their proposal to build 200 homes on the green belt site.

Dr Stones said "The action group are extremely disappointed by Cheshire East Council's proposal to develop this green belt site which only last year was regarded as making a significant contribution to the green belt, and to build 200 homes on the site when their (CEC's) 2013 SHLAA* suggested the site was only capable of accommodating 103 homes."

He told councillors that there are 48 species of birds which can be regularly seen at the site and he has recorded over 200 species of moths - including one which was a first record for Cheshire. The site is also home to mammals including foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and bats.

Dr Stones explained "The importance of wildlife corridors and eco buffer zones has become widely recognised, as has the detrimental effect on local wildlife when these are interrupted or damaged. Such a zone exists along the rear of the properties on Carlton Avenue, including the boundary of the paddock area of Little Stanneylands ad extending round to the garden centre."

Representatives from the Little Stanneylands and Dean Valley Neighbourhood Action Group are hoping to meet with the developer and Council before any detailed plans are prepared for the site and wishes to ensure that are planning permission, if granted, is subject to the creation of a eco buffer-zone which is legally enforceable and respects existing woodlands and hedgerows.

Dr Stones added "We have the opportunity to take action to preserve this zone, to protect local wildlife, and provide mitigation of the visual detriment caused by any permitted development. Such protection has potential for reducing opposition to the development."

Some councillors met with representatives from Little Stanneylands & Dean Valley Neighbourhood Action Group on Friday, 12th February.

Speaking about the meeting, Cllr Keith Purdom Chairman of Wilmslow Town Council said "We left your house committing to try and arrange a meeting with the developer. Matthew (Matthew Jackson, Town Clerk) is aware that his normal contact is going on maternity leave very soon so if she is available you may well get a meeting as early as next week to meet with them. I will be available if it is a time I am not working otherwise Matthew will attend and obviously any other councillor could attend."

*SHLAA - Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. This document identified potential housing sites and assessed whether these sites are developable, how many housing units could be accommodated on them and when they could be delivered.

The photos above are a selection of those taken by Dr Stones. Those showing a nuthatch, bullfinches, goldfinches, a fox and siskins were taken last week, whilst the photos of the clouded buff moth and habitat were taken during the summer and autumn months.

Tags:
Little Stanneylands, Local Plan, Wilmslow Town Council
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Comments

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

DELETED ACCOUNT
Wednesday 17th February 2016 at 4:35 pm
If this is the same area mentioned in the Non- Preferred Sites Justification Paper dated March 2014 (Little Stanneylands) then it is hard to understand why it is now being proposed. This document rejected its use on the grounds that it had - "important natural features, a watercourse, protected trees , adjacent to a site of Biological importance and heritage assets".

Similarly, another site in Dean Row appears in the same document (as being non- preferred) is described as having "important natural features, protected trees, protected woodland and hedegrows, pond, presence of protected species is likely".

So, why have things changed between March 2014 and February 2016? Have all these features miraculously vanished?
Anna Meadmore
Wednesday 17th February 2016 at 5:17 pm
It would seem that planning applications, hearings, meetings, proposals and counter proposals, objections, re-applications etc etc become just a formality and a waste of everyone's time, because the Councils, the planning inspectorate (who come from Bristol), developers et al somehow or other just go ahead anyway.
There will soon be no Green Belt left in this area.
How is the infrastructure supposed to cope with all these proposed new dwellings? With an average of two cars per household, this proposal would bring another 400 cars to Stanneylands Road, which is still really a country lane, and can hardly cope with the traffic there is.
Dr Stone needs all the support he can get to stop this unnecessary development.
Julie Allanson
Wednesday 17th February 2016 at 6:06 pm
We live very close to Wilmslow Garden Centre and the traffic to the Stanneylands Road/Manchester Road traffic lights is horrendous in the rush hour and often from mid afternoon. There are far too many cars on the road in this area and with 200 additional homes the plan is crazy! Why are green belt sites being destroyed when there are so many brown field sites needing redevelopment including Cypress House which has been empty for many years?
Roger Bagguley
Wednesday 17th February 2016 at 9:57 pm
This is an excellent piece of ecological study presented by Dr Nigel Stone that clearly gets right to the heart of why we must not sacrifice valuable Green Belt, wildlife habitats for the sake of producing more and more housing than is necessary.

Jackie Pass can always be relied upon to recall history. Little Stanneylands and Heathfield Farm sites have both emerged from the depths of a previous version of the Local Plan and it is hard to recall these having been subject to public consultation.

What is so upsetting for neighbours of these sites is that they have only in recent times become informed of Cheshire East's plans to build here, information and unswerving support being supplied by Residents of Wilmslow (RoW).
Fiona Doorbar
Thursday 18th February 2016 at 7:27 am
And all of these kids in these new houses will go to which high school????
Julian Barlow
Thursday 18th February 2016 at 9:52 am
To Cheshire East Council the term "Green Belt" really means "countryside yet to be destroyed". It's tragic to see such rampant development throughout Wilmslow and Handforth at the expense of our woodland and fields. Public consultation is merely a formality with the outcome often a forgone conclusion.
Christopher Baker
Thursday 18th February 2016 at 4:19 pm
Jackie Pass wrote "So, why have things changed between March 2014 and February 2016?" As Lisa pointed out, the photos of birds shown by Dr Stones to Wilmslow Town Council were taken this week (that of the moth, like those of the deciduous trees in leaf, was taken a while back) and nothing has changed on the ground -- or in the air. The prime reasons for choice of this site appear to be "achievability" and "deliverability" (e.g., promoted by the owner and a national housebuilder) while "contribution to the Green Belt", and important natural features, appear to weigh little.

Residents must take the opportunity provided by the promised public consultation and (if the proposal looks likely to go ahead as part of the Local Plan) they should try to influence details of the plans to limit the damage.
Mark Goldsmith
Friday 19th February 2016 at 3:50 am
This whole process is farcical.

It is clearly now a cosy stich up between CEC and developers to build what they want, where they want.

our local councilors should do the decent thing and resign in protest.

Ps my phone just tried to auto correct "councilors" to "council lies". How apt.
Pete Taylor
Tuesday 23rd February 2016 at 1:22 pm
As I write this I'm watching a buzzard sitting in a tree in the agricultural field, to the West of Alderley Road, which Royal London want to build houses on.
Simon Worthington
Tuesday 23rd February 2016 at 4:19 pm
I believe our old pal Pete is involved so plans will be passed then!!! Might as well live with it.