Following the unveiling of the provisional strategic sites for potential inclusion in the emerging Local Plan Core Strategy, Cheshire East Council has announced it will hold another public consultation.
The intention was to present the final Core Strategy to Full Council later this month but following last week's presentation to the Strategic Planning Board the decision has been taken to delay the process to enable then to consider points raised at the planning meeting.
These provisional sites have now been incorporated into a single document of proposed sites which will now be subject to public consultation between 5th November and 16th December 2013. This will include strategic sites, the plan's evidence base and proposed new infrastructure (including new roads).
In a letter to council members, Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of the Council, wrote "I have discussed the matter fully with the Leader, who has also consulted with Group Leaders, and it is my intention to undertake a further six week public consultation process on the final Draft Core Strategy prior to us presenting the final document to Council for approval and formal submission to Government.
"I am proposing that we hold an Individual Portfolio Meeting on the 5th November to review the final Draft Core Strategy document and approve the 6 week consultation public process which would start on 5th November and finish on the 16rd December 2013."
Cllr Brown added "I am proposing this course of action to ensure that we continue to listen to the views of our elected Members and local residents as we have throughout the Local Plan process so far.
"It is my firm view that we must submit a Core Strategy which is both robust and sound from a planning perspective, but also reflects as much as possible local needs. It is only by undertaking this further round of consultation will I be satisfied that we have sufficiently taken account of our residents views."
This six week consultation will also cover the new safeguarded sites included in the latest draft document, two of which are in Wilmslow - one off Upcast Lane and the other off Prestbury Road.
I spoke with Cllr Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, last week regarding the safeguarded sites.
He said "Safeguarding land has come about after a meeting with a planning inspector on the Local Plan who said to be robust we must provide Safeguarded Land. I am very clear that as far as I'm concerned safeguarding land is something which I find particularly difficult to understand.
"We are looking to consult on that obviously but also I want to know about how we're looking at the process of, how can I strategically tell you what it's going to be like in 2030 or further. So I have a problem with that and what I'm looking to do is establish a logic. I can say that at the moment the Strategic Planning team have told me, and I absolutely know it's true, that they've been told to put safeguarded land in by the government.
"I find it abhorent that we're being forced to plan for what's going forward given this is the issue about the Local Plan. One of the pressures we have got at the moment is a national pressure of immigration and rising population. By 2030 I expect us to have a robust immigration policy which will driven by needs immigration. I believe immigration should be targeted so if you need teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers or distribution drivers or whatever. If there's a need I'm all for it. I believe the conservative government will solve that problem in the next election.
"We've already got immigration down by a third and what we should also remove ourselves from the Human Rights Act which will allow us to remove immigrants who are criminals. All of that takes away one of the drivers. The second driver is clearly a population living longer. That's good news and we all think it's great news, however I think that's a bubble. We do have the highest number of single people living in 4 bedroom houses so I think its a bubble which will work its way through by 2030 when we've got a catch up in the housing supply as the market adjusts and more houses come on the market as they do decline."
"The third thing is because you can only change Green Belt at a plan period. I believe our jobs led plan is robust enough to say we've got our numbers right. We are on target to do 27,000 house growth, we are looking at 30,000 jobs. I think we're very aggressive so I'm actually going to write to the government and ask them is this the right thing to do. Why do we have to safeguard because I can't see the drivers today meaning there could be more housing in the north of the borough. Sure there will be natural growth, but I don't see it being the numbers that are indicated in safeguarding.
"I think we need to be careful saying that Cheshire East will be led by by jobs growth and is a place to live and work but if we keep on blighting land it becomes a place where people will not want to live and work and that would be a disaster for us. So I'm going to write to the Secretary of State and ask him the question on safeguarding given the national problem on immigration and housing numbers needed, and also the fact that other areas are not supplying the houses like Manchester which is another driver for us. That's not our problem - if Greater Manchester is not providing enough houses, Cheshire East should not safeguard to cover their need."
"So I think it's perverse and I am going to ask the question."
I also asked Cllr Michael Jones about the land to the west of Royal London which is designated as 'Protected Open Space' in the latest document.
Cllr Michael Jones said he is going to look at what the difference is between Green Belt and Protected Open Space and confirmed to me that if designation as Protected Open Space does not protect this piece of land adequately then he will request that it is kept within the Green Belt.
Michael Jones told me "If it is protected green space which really cannot be used do we really care whether it is called green belt, yellow belt, black belt as long as it is what it is. You can't build on it and you can never take it away without a local plan.
"So what I am looking at is clarifying the definitions and if there is any weakness to Green Belt being designated as Protected Open Space then I will ask for it to be put back to Green Belt. However, It could be that Protected Open Space is even stronger."
Following this final round of consultation, the Council will publish the Draft Core Strategy, inviting formal representations – and then submit those comments along with the document to the planning inspectorate.
Cllr Brown said "So far, we have received 28,000 representations by members of the public about our draft proposals. This is an unprecedented amount of interest in a council consultation process and I hope this further period of consultation will allow everyone to feel they have had time and opportunity to have their say.
"The Local Plan is the keystone for all future growth across the borough. It is absolutely vital for the future economic wellbeing of everyone living and working in Cheshire East that we get this process right", he said.
"As I see it, this is the People's Plan and it's vital that we take the time to get it right".
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
stage a Planning Inspector was consulted and he said "to be robust you must include Safeguarded land".Why now? Why not at the commencement of the process so that we could consider properly the full details instead of this piecemeal subterfuge.
One suspects that CEC knew all along what they were ultimately going to put in The Plan but conspired to do it this way in the hope that boredom will set in amongst the good folk of Wilmslow and that there would be no resistance to this unfortunate last minute attempt to sneak in additional safeguarded sites. I have yet to see any evidence in the emerging Core Strategy of the results of all the prodigious efforts by Wilmslow Residents to identify brown land sites.
I have to say that the result of this latest change will be to stiffen our resolve.
as soon as you pass your plans I for one will be moving out of the area..... having lost a fortune on a property we have saved for years to buy for our retirement.... Thanks CE
Shame that the Cllr went into part political speech mode in the middle of his statement.
This is a remarkable quote from Michael Jones:
"I am very clear that as far as I'm concerned safeguarding land is something which I find particularly difficult to understand."
His ramblings above demonstrate that, once again, he doesn't know what he's talking about and is driven only by self-interest.
Still wondering when the Lyme Green DIP report will be released in full. No, we haven't forgotten and it hasn't gone away.
Judging by the rhetoric above we are making the powers that be a little jumpy. So Cheshire if they want more of us to have our 'say' in yet another public consultation Cheshire give them what they want.
It's a mess, he knows it, Wilmslow knows it and he, single handedly is orchestrating the downfall of our MP.
A classic quotation, with the emphasis on "as much as possible," from one of our leaders that accurately describes the process of democracy. We listen, take no notice and plough on with our original intentions. We know you are upset but we did our best, we went through the process.
I note 5th November, Guy Fawkes Day, is a significant meeting in this democratic process. Pity he failed!
Much criticism of the HRA is muddled, based on myth, distortion and anecdote rather than fact. It also displays a very worrying ignorance about what human rights are, as well as the extent to which UK lawyers and governments have contributed, over the last sixty years, to the development and advancement of human rights law internationally. These attacks are also deeply damaging, both to the protection of human rights for people living in the UK and to the cause of human rights across Europe and further afield. The UK cannot be a strong and credible champion for human rights across the world – as it claims to be – when many of its politicians and its newspapers seek to weaken the application of human rights law and to undermine the institutions that safeguard human rights for people living inside its borders.
HRA makes it easier for those living in the UK to secure their basic civil liberties through UK courts rather than having to seek redress at the European Court of Human Rights, a process that can take years. The liberties in question are ones long valued in the UK, such as the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, free speech and peaceful protest, equal rights under the law, the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
I know the Tories are looking to enact a Bill of rights, which appear to be interested in diminishing not increasing human rights protections. They argue that the Human Rights Act is somehow alien to UK society and culture, and that it has led to the misinterpretation and distortion of human rights in ways which have brought few if any benefits to ordinary UK citizens, while making it harder to deal with problems of crime, illegal immigration, asylum and terrorism. It does this, in their view, by enhancing the power of unelected judges at the expense of Parliament, which is accountable through elections to the UK public, and by forcing UK judges to apply misguided rulings on human rights made by the European Court of Human Rights.
http://bit.ly/1g2se7F
Also the councillors should be reminded who pays all their salaries, and pensions and perks, and expenses