Plans submitted for new residential development off Cumber Lane

These 133 Bellway homes comprising 17 two-bed homes, 56 three-bed, 29 four-bed, 22 five-bed and 9 six-bedroom houses are to be built on land which was formerly Green Belt (remember when that designation actually meant something?) but which was redesignated as "Safeguarded Land", ie. can be built upon.
However, this only constitutes the initial phase of planned housing in that particular area of south Wilmslow, there's plenty more on the way.
People have already remarked on this forum about the inevitable chaos this will create in the area both during construction as well as afterwards with increased traffic down the already extremely busy Cumber Lane, and they're right.

Pete Wright is correct. Thus, it is important to examine this application carefully. Whilst this is for 133 houses, it has to be remembered that this site is safeguarded to accommodate 500 plus units. Maybe 600 plus in the end. This reality poses numerous questions, particularly around infrastructure: Do Moor Lane, Cumber Lane, Gravel Lane and Chapel Lane, the routes to and from Wilmslow Town Centre, have the capacity to take perhaps 2000 extra vehicle movements per day? There is only one High School in town. People living locally in Lindow Fold Drive seriously question whether the existing sewage system has the capacity to cope with such a large development. At RoW, we will be opposed to adding to the main drain running under Cumber Lane, demanding a whole new system running south from the site be installed. Running south too for surface water.

We need to question the ecology reports for this site. It is peatland. There are local water courses that could well sustain newts etc. There are badgers. The presence of these seems to be being played down.

There are so many documents to read. At RoW we urge residents to take time out to read these and to let us have your thoughts. 5 and 6 bedroom houses are not features of the Cumber Lane/Upcast Lane communities. The need for Wilmslow is for more smaller and more affordable housing. Large properties do not make the most efficient use of land.

It is not just a case of objecting to these houses but of the impact the addition of 500 plus units will have on the local community, both during and after construction, that matters. We need to demand an EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment.

A lot to do before the planning portal closing date, 3rd July 2025.

Here we go again. Will they not be satisfied until to whole of this green and pleasant is completely obliterated by their land grab? They seem offended by the sight of flower filled meadows (remember them?), wooded glades or the least little pocket of open countryside. Once they have covered Cheshire in concrete, they will be off to the Maldives no doubt with their filthy lucre. Greedy cut corners builders, associated parasitic trades along with complicit gold digging council will stop at nothing to trouser their ill gotten gains whilst the rest of us plebs live cheek by jowl with rowdy neighbours, no room in 'parking bays' to open car doors and the myriad awful consequences (some poor souls are still living with RAAD) of UK 'chuck us a bung' building regs (now there's a contradiction in terms).
Once it's gone, folks who voted for this, it's gone.

This "development" is contrary to the local neighbourhood;s needs.Residents of Wilmslow (RoW) came about to protect Wilmslow's Green Belt from a various developers and to maintain the Green Belt. But sheer, unadulterated, developers' greed has been encouraged by various Governments under the false guise of requiring more homes but this sight most certainly does not address that,If it did 5 bedroom houses will not meet the so called need for more houses- these just make the greedy developers greed profitable not meeting the need. Of course local councils have been and currently are bullied by Government to meet it's imaginary targets.If councils refuse developers resort to appeal after appeal till councils are forced,by developers appeal costs to surrender. What about the increase on local infrastructure- traffic, roads, schools, medical services,sewage etc? No mention here by Bellway as to its solution or concern? Hopefully RoW councillors on the relevant planning committee will vote this application down.

They will eventually infill from Stormy Point to Row of Trees and destroy the historical landscape character of the old moss rooms. No roaming footpaths, only pavements and fences. Nothing to see here. What kind of life are we heading for?

Very well said Mr Golding, and if there was a vote on this in the town, we would overwhelmingly be against it……it’s why we fight for democracy to defend against these on going invasions. Those of us who live day to day in this fragile area know that the infrastructure is crumbling under the weight of overdevelopment…. these builders don’t care, join the gold rush , vandalise the place, and move on. Green fields gone forever, 300 more people, 300 more cars, dogs, bikes, all piling into a town already overloaded. No.

We really need the voices of the community to help fight this.

Please help raise awareness with neighbours and take the time to register objections on the planning portal posted above - and encourage others to do so.

More information can be found at protectlindow.co.uk and the LPS59 residents group on facebook, email to offer any help that you can.

The development is unsuitable on many levels, and the strain it will place on infrastructure and the loss of character which makes this area a special place to live will effect all of south Wilmslow, not just those directly adjacent.

This is just phase one of a much larger destruction of green spaces in our area, benefiting no one who already lives there. It provides nothing to the community or country as a whole - just profit for developers who have been given a green light by central government to build anything and anywhere they like under the guise of solving a housing crisis by selling 6 bed homes.

Please don't stand by while this happens - once it's gone it's gone forever.

So who owns the land these houses are going to be built upon? I suspect any sale to a developer of the land would be contingent upon planning permission being granted. Find the landowner and pressurise them not to sell the land.

When this land was redesignated from Green Belt to "SafeGuarded Land" in the Local Plan a few years ago the genie was out of the bottle. It was earmarked for future development so although people can and should lodge their complaints or comments on the planning portal it's hard to see it not going ahead in some form unfortunately. Perhaps it can be reduced in size?
Much of the blame must lie with central government who are pushing all councils to build more and more homes (with yearly targets) and to approve planning applications which in the past might well've been rejected.
Councils probably have some control over exactly where houses are can be built but not if they will be.

There is no justification to build here. Can you imagine, cement mixers, heavy goods trucks and the like, rattling through Chapel Lane, Moor Lane and Cumber Lane, for 3 years, vandalising the fields,then all the extra thousands of car journeys after this, going through next.
All over the world we see places destroyed forever through greed, and we,re forced to watch it happen on our doorstep. We can’t allow this.
Is it possible to do some kind of local vote, all residents ?

This planning application is because of the Labour governments new housing policy.

They want 1.5 million new homes built, so increased Cheshire East’s housing target accordingly. Overnight, that bigger target removed the powers your council has to protect our green fields. It temporarily means Cheshire East has very few reasons to reject these applications. Even if it does refuse them (as we all want to see), then they will go to appeal and the governments department (the Planning Inspectorate) will decide. They will invariably allow them because that's what the government wants to see happen. Plus the Inspector will likely fine Cheshire East for not following the new planning rules!

Labour’s want to build, build, build and the price of farmland around Wilmslow is about £15k per acre. However, with planning permission that land is worth £1m+. This is a gold rush for housing developers and Wilmslow has at least another 4 large-scale estates in the pipeline. All of them are desperately trying to get their plans approved before the boroughs new target numbers are reached and their window of opportunity closes.

So, please be clear. This is not Cheshire East “being greedy” or them ignoring local opinion. They are being forced, very reluctantly into this position.

Best regards

Mark

Cllr Mark Goldsmith
Residents of Wilmslow

Thanks for the comments Mark, although I wouldn't put much trust in Labour's fantasy housebuilding plans.
1.5 million new houses corresponds to (even if we give them the full 5 year term) equivalent to over 800 new homes completed per DAY, every day of the year for 5 years. Good luck with that.
Politicians have traditionally thrown nonsense figures around expecting people to simply believe them, but those days are increasingly over.

Pete: Mark is right. You are too in that 1.5 million houses to be built over the next 5 years is an unattainable figure. This though leaves us all very vulnerable to first come first served with a determined and increasingly despairate government approving almost every submitted planning application which can be related to existing communities. CEC, like every other council, has lost the control it had under their Local Plan, 2010 - 2030. Until they have a new Plan, this loss of control will continue with developers holding the upper hand.

At RoW we have submitted an audit of brown sites around Wilmslow and of sites that may well be reclassified as being grey. This in the hope, enough developers submit applications for these sites to meet the government's required number of houses without encroaching too far into the Green Belt.

Another prime example of Mark blaming the current.

It always used to be the Tories fault. Now it’s Labour. Might aswell allow RoW to run the country.

Mark as our elected voice for Wilmslow, what campaigns are you doing to stop this overdevelopment. Are you voting against any such planning applications? Are you lobbying your Labour colleagues that you run the council with? Are you writing to central government?