Cheshire East Council has launched an additional six week consultation on its Core Strategy today, to allow more time for the public to have their say on the Local Plan before it is presented to the Planning Inspector.
The consultation will run for six weeks, from November 5th to December 16th 2013 and was approved by Councillor David Brown at public meeting in Sandbach on Friday, 1st November.
A significant amount of research and evidence has been gathered to inform the 'Pre Submission Core Strategy' and this round of consultation seeks to address concerns that the public may have as the Council approaches the publication of the Local Plan next year.
Deputy Leader, Councillor David Brown, who oversees the Local Plan process said: "There was a tremendous response to our proposals at the Strategic Planning Board in September, with around 30 people and groups coming along to speak at the meeting.
"It's only right, given the strength of feeling, that we respect the effort people put in by now making extra time to reflect on them properly.
"So far, we have received 28,000 responses to our draft proposals. This is an unprecedented amount of interest in a council consultation process and I hope this additional period of consultation will allow everyone to feel they have had time and opportunity to have their say."
All documents can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website or at any Cheshire East library or customer service point.
See my previous article 'Draft Core Strategy set to be approved for consultation' for more information about the provisional strategic sites and safeguarded sites which have been identified in Wilmslow and Handforth for potential inclusion in the Local Plan Core Strategy.
Photo: Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Down loading .PDF files from CEC web site had proved impossible. Now it takes ages IF you can find what you want.
The three documents are essential reading IF you stand any chance of understanding how to respond.
CEC have done us residents no favours. They don't want objections from us and by restricting availability of documents are trying to stop us from objecting.
WTC must be upset about this and no wonder we have a Residents of Wilmslow town councillor. WTC what are you doing to facilitate commentary?
Over the past three years I have indicated to the Council all the deficiencies which make the Core Strategy “unsound”. These have & continue to be ignored.
The consequences of an “unsound” Core Strategy are very serious, as there will be no up to date local guidance on which to reach decisions on planning applications. The past 2 years has seen a rash of unplanned housing permissions all over south Cheshire, & these are likely to continue apace.
The reasons why the Core Strategy is unsound are:
It has not met the legal duty to co-operate with adjoining Local Authorities eg Stoke on Trent, Newcastle under Lyme, Stockport etc.
The Strategic Sites for development are not supported by the evidence. In fact, the sites have been chosen first eg Handforth East, Fence Avenue (Macclesfield), and the evidence to support them produced in the last couple of months.
Well established planning policies have been disregarded in the choice of Strategic Sites eg Jodrell Bank (North Congleton/SW Macclesfield), Areas of Special County Value for Landscape (Fence Ave, Lyme Green), Safeguarded Areas for Minerals (SW Macclesfield).
The reasons for rolling back the Green Belt are not exceptional eg meeting a housing need is a general requirement of all plans, and not an exceptional reason for rolling back the Green Belt.
There is no justification put forward for Safeguarded Land, the amount of land required or its location. Yet 270 hectares of Green Belt, enough for over 8,000 houses, has been allocated.
The changes to the Green Belt in North Cheshire are strategic, as all the towns in the area have lost Green Belt. In the light of this a review of the Green Belt should have taken place in conjunction with Stockport, Manchester & Trafford Districts.
There is not a 5 years supply of housing land, even without the 20% additional buffer required by recent planning inspectors.
The Strategic Housing Market Assessment ignores adjacent areas which form part of the same housing market in North Cheshire eg Woodford, Cheadle, Bramhall, Heald Green etc.
There is no flexibility in the Plan eg Alderley Park..what happens if there are large areas of empty buildings, which cannot find suitable occupiers? A mixed use allocation for the site for employment & housing would address this possible eventuality.
In terms of commenting on the latest Core Strategy these deficiencies need to be repeated, as if they are not addressed, the Core Strategy will be found to be “unsound” and the public will be left to suffer the consequences.
Reading the CEC website "Online Consultation Portal" is says that only comments on the Local Plan Core Strategy pre-submission received during the (new) consultation period (5th November 2103 to 16th December 2013) will be considered.
This means that the 28000 comments previously received and all previous consultations, such as The Wilmslow Vision will now be discounted.
The Core Strategy document runs to some 398 pages plus there are other associated hefty documents which need to be trawled through.
My conclusion is that CEC are trying to grind down anyone who does not agree with their (and the House Builders) plans.
There were folks right at the start of this "planning consultation" process who said that CEC's mind was already made up- I didn't believe that. I do now. Localism?