A group of Wilmslow residents are continuing with their campaign to protect the green belt around Wilmslow from development.
Representatives from Residents of Wilmslow (RoW) met with Wilmslow Town Council recently to discuss the next stage of the Cheshire East Local Plan and affirm their opposition to building on the green belt.
Cheshire East Council's six-week consultation on their Development Strategy starts this week - the document sets out the overall number of homes and jobs which will be required in the borough over the next 20 years. The strategy identifies two sites for development in Wilmslow.
The Council is recommending that 400 homes be built in Wilmslow over the next 18 years and proposing that about 75 new homes be built next to the Royal London site which is currently within the green belt.
The Development Strategy also proposes that around 2Ha of new business space be allocated next to the Royal London site and land to the west of Royal London be removed from the green belt and designated as safeguarded land for future development.
Additionally, Cheshire East is proposing that land at Adlington Road, long reserved for future development, be brought forward to provide 225 new homes along with provision for a place of worship, a public house or restaurant and sports and leisure facilities.
This is largely a greenfield site, outside the green belt, but safeguarded land which the Wilmslow Town Strategy states should retain its status as safeguarded land in the Cheshire East Local Plan until at least 2025.
The Wilmslow Town Strategy, produced by Wilmslow Town Council following the two month Wilmslow Vision consultation, also suggests that 400 new homes should be built in the town during this period but states that this should be achieved without building on any existing green belt land, whilst the potential for development on brownfield sites should be maximised.
RoW, which was formed by bringing together all the individual residents groups which were set up around Wilmslow to galvanise local opinion during the Wilmslow Vision consultation, are opposed to the recommendations in the Development Strategy which the public will be consulted on from Tuesday, 15th January.
David Lewis explained "We believe there are enough brownfield sites available in Wilmslow to provide the required 400 houses and that there is no need to build houses on the green belt land at Royal London.
"There certainly is no need to take the land on the west side of the Alderley Road (opposite Royal London) out of green belt and safeguard it for future housebuilding and building on the safeguarded land at Adlington Road does not seem necessary given the availability of brownfield sites. It also is subject to flooding in wet weather.
"Cheshire East claim that there is insufficient brownfield land to meet the need and we are therefore meeting the CE planners next week to go through a list of brownfield sites that will more than meet the need for 400 houses."
Representatives from RoW will be meeting with Cheshire East planning officers on Tuesday, 15th January, to go through a list of brownfield sites which they believe will more than meet the need for 400 houses in Wilmslow.
RoW are encouraging anyone who is aware of brownfield sites around the town, that could be redeveloped to provide houses, to get in touch with them so that the sites can be added to their list of possible future sites.
The Wilmslow Trust has arranged for the head of planning at Cheshire East Council to give a talk this week about the Development Strategy and plans for 400 new homes to be built in Wilmslow by 2030.
Adrian Fisher, Strategic Housing and Planning Manager at Cheshire East Council, will be at Wilmslow Library from 7.45pm to 9.45pm on Wednesday, 16th January, to discuss the latest proposals and answer questions.
The consultation goes live tomorrow (Tuesday 15th January) on the Cheshire East Council website. Copies of the comment form will be available from Wilmslow Library and Wilmslow Town Council.
Click here to view the Cheshire East Development Strategy.
Email Manuel Golding or David Lewis for further infomration about Residents Of Wilmslow.
