Draft proposals for the future development of Wilmslow have now been published and are available to view here and those who care about the town's future are being urged to have their say.
The public consultation for Wilmslow Vision, which opened at Wilmslow Leisure Centre on Friday, 30th March, sets out objectives and potential development opportunities as well as priorities for investment in the town's infrastructure.
The people of Wilmslow are being encouraged to take a look at the draft Wilmslow Vision, which is an important document that will help shape the future development of the town for the next 20 years.
Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said "Wilmslow's population will continue to grow over the next 20 years. This consultation process will allow residents to influence where future development can take place, say what kind of town they want Wilmslow to be, and highlight green spaces they want to preserve. The more responses we have the more we are able to resist unwanted developments, so I urge all residents to have their say."
The objectives for realising the 'vision' include; delivering in the order of 1500 new homes by 2030; promoting Wilmslow as a location for a wide range of jobs; providing a well-defined and welcoming town centre; developing a mixed and inclusive community; developing the existing public transport system to provide an integrated service and protecting and enhancing buildings and areas of cultural and heritage value.
I went along to the leisure centre on Friday afternoon to meet with Cheshire East Councillors, Wilmslow Town Councillors and members of the public who had come along to view the proposals.
Without a doubt the most controversial proposal is the suggestion that 1500 new homes will be built in Wilmslow by 2030 and visitors to the exhibition were keen to view the map which identifies a number of potential sites for new housing developments.
There are currently around 9,500 homes in Wilmslow so this would represent a 15% increase on the number of homes in the town and in order to deliver this new housing it is highly likely that land within the Green Belt would be used.
Cllr Ruth McNulty, Vice-Chairman of Wilmslow Town Council, said "These areas marked as possible housing were included on the plan for the specific reason that they are either currently owned by developers or have been the subject of previous planning applications by developers or are currently owned by Cheshire East Council. In other words, it is possible that any or all of these sites could be used for housing development.
"Some of the sites in the Dean Row and Adlington Road area are currently designated as Green Belt but are owned by developers. We want to encourage residents to voice their opinions about the impact of converting this area of Green Belt to housing. If Wilmslow residents overwhelmingly reject potential development on these sites it will be highly unlikely that development will proceed – but we need the collective voice of the people of Wilmslow to speak and to speak vociferously."
The Wilmslow Vision is the document being developed for Wilmslow which will be one of a collection of documents used by Cheshire East Council when developing the new Cheshire East Local Plan.
The purpose of this document is to summarise the views of the local community, establish the 'vision' and consider the development options to deliver on that vision. No decisions have therefore been taken about the allocation of any sites or their development potential.
Following extensive public consultation of this draft strategy, a final revised document will be presented to Cheshire East Council.
The Wilmslow Vision public exhibition will be available to view during normal opening hours at Wilmslow Leisure Centre until April 30th. Throughout this period the displays will be staffed by a mixture of Wilmslow Town Council members, Cheshire East Council officers, and representatives from consultants Broadway Malyan on the following dates:
● Friday March 30th: 11am - 7pm;
● Saturday March 31st: 10am - 5pm;
● Tuesday April 10th: 12 - 3pm;
● Wednesday April 18th: 2 - 5pm;
● Thursday April 26th: 5 - 8pm.
Readers can download the draft Wilmslow Vision which is attached here, along with a copy of frequently asked questions and the questionnaire.
Responses are to be returned by Monday, April 30th.
Photo: (l-r) Cllr Rod Menlove Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, Cllr Jim Crockatt Chairman of Wilmslow Town Council, Cllr Ruth McNulty, Vice-Chairman of Wilmslow Town Council and Cllr Gary Barton.
Tony Mooney and Cllr Jim Crockatt.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
We are told that the Draft Wilmslow Vision is a separate exercise from Cheshire East's proposals to demolish the Library and demolish the Leisure Centre. If that is the case then I ask what are subquestions 10 to 14 under question 6 in this consultation for?
I suggest that if you agree that the answers to these questions is either "Important" or "Essential" or even "Desirable" ,then you are voting to have the Library and Leisure Centre demolished and also lose The Rectory Fields for cricket for ever.
Answer with care for the future of your Town.
We go to Knutsford quite often, as well as The Green Room and The Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra in the Leisure Centre. All very accessible and deserving of the fullest support.
Let us not fall into the CEC trap and wish for things that will not be delivered for us but for their (CEC)purposes, to squeeze wilmslow's assets. (sell them off)
The draft document omits any market research to back up the need or viability of a theatre, neither does it set out how a leisure centre within the grounds of the High School would prioritise the needs of the current users - particularly of the swimming pool- against the needs of 2000 teenagers. Perhaps if these issues could be addressed, those concerned may be in a better position to take a more positive view?
But you have to read the plan very carefully. It would be easy to tick the ‘yes’ boxes and find as Clive Bassil has said above that we have endorsed something that we don’t really want. Or worse still inertia in failing to vigorously oppose the proposals will have a similar effect.
I reckon the view from my garden over the green belt is worth £20.000, and with 15 houses down the road we stand, as a community, to collectively loose £300, 000 off the value of our homes whilst a developer makes a huge profit.
Reading the whole booklet provided, it seems to be no more than a consultant’s vision of a power point presentation, and the associated questionnaire seems to be designed to achieve the answers ‘they’ require to move forward with this plan.
What low cost housing is going to be provided by this plan? Given the UK average wage and the mortgage it can sustain, then any low cost housing has to sell for less than £150,000. Would any developer do that in Wilmslow?
As for improved transport links to sustain this housing. Is the council going to subsidise a regular and efficient bus service to and from the town centre every 15 to 20 mins. for 18 hours a day– I think not.
This country is not short of housing, but short of housing where people want to live. Improve the current housing stock and it’s environment before using green belt to sustain urban flight.
There is a meeting at Dean Row Community Centre on Friday 20th April at 7pm, it would be good if everyone who would like to protect the maintenance of the local landscape and area could attend - this will effect you if you live in or near Wilmslow
The matter of 1500 houses is altogether another issue and requires very serious study and response to CEC.
The logic in the plan is flawed. How can it be said that a lack of housing is leading to additional in-commuting (Para 1, P20) when in-commuting and out-commuting balance out (para 4, P 8). If more employment land is delivered (para 2, P15), will this not be the major cause of the need for further housing? Indeed, this is admitted in the Plan (para 5, P19) “in order to deliver new housing and employment in Wilmslow , it is likely that greenfield land will be required….”. So greenbelt land has to be surrendered to build more offices in Wilmslow!
There is some threat to our Green Belt from housing and new business, mainly due to central Govt. policy. It also serves to highlight past CEC planning mistakes, inconsistent with the current Vision, restricting redevelopment of the rail station approach and the proposed public transport interchange.
An interesting fact is that a similar number of workers enter Wilmslow each day, as residents who leave to work in Manchester, Stockport etc.
Wilmslow is close to the Greater Manchester boundary and will be affected by Stockport’s development ‘vision’ to the west eg planned A555 airport spur and new housing development.
Our economy relies heavily on the retail and financial service sectors, yet high rents and business rates put off many new niche businesses.
Wilmslow has several enjoyable green spaces, an SSSI and a nature park, yet Lindow Common, privately donated for the benefit of residents, has ‘lost’ the Black Lake amenity due to CEC over-management.
Various community groups & societies provide a varied background for residents and Wilmslow is well-served by a range of primary schools and the High School.
I moved to Wilmslow as it was handy for work and was a nice place to live. It still is, but we can’t be complacent. Several Town councilors are on record as saying the Vision is just a blueprint which they will scrutinize closely before voting. I hope CEC will have the courtesy to arrange a public residents meeting before submitting their final plan at the end of this consultation period.
In addition to the Vision it is worth reading the current situation for Wilmslow, as detailed in the CEC Open Space Assessment – Wilmslow summary report 2012 http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/2012-02-03%20Wilmslow%20OS%20Report.pdf
together with http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/Wilmslow.pdf
Now off to view the manned Vision exhibition at the Leisure Centre.
We hope to welcome as many of you as possible to ask the councillors your questions! http://www.friendsofdeanrow.blogspot.co.uk
The primary schools and the High School are already over-subscribed, to mention just one problem an increased population would bring.
Does Wilmslow need more land given over to ‘employment … to ensure the economic potential is met?’ (Just drive through town and see how many 'offices to let' you can spot).
And I wonder if there's some truth in the rumour that a supermarket (!) has offered money etc etc to be allowed to build on the site of the Leisure Centre? I would not be surprised to learn there is.
Another meeting had been arranged for7.30 tomorrow night (Monday 16th April) at Lindow Cricket Club on Upcast Lane.
There is undoubtedly a hidden agenda here. That agenda is to create somethging in the region of a £60million profit on the sale of council owned property and land for development. This plan includes the demolition of the librarry, currently ideally situated in the town centre, demolish the leisure centre and destroy the Rectory Fields, thus depriving us of summer weekend's watching cricket in the centre of town. The plan is to build another library, leisure, cinema/theatre, health centre etc.next to the high school. The convenience of the town centre faciities, which are in convenient & easy walking places currently for the elderley, will be lost. For what? It is said that the hoped for £60 million profit would go to........... well not here, to Wilmslow. It is said it is "urgently required" for Crewe's development!! Will you vote for this rape and pillage of our town?
As to despoiling the Green Belt - where are the facts and figures to prove the CEC's case for building 1500 homes? It has avoided presenting any such "findings" by its "experts"
Town centre loop & hopper buses? Where to, where from, who pays?
20mph for a "defined town centre 'zone'"? Who can get up to 15mph around the town centre now?
Affordable housing? It would be wonderful if CEC lets us know what it means by "affordable housing". It is a relative and worthless phrase, a PR mummbo jumboist's lingo, nothing more.
Open space provisions around the town? We have the beautiful Carrs, the Rectory Field, the green fields from the Kings Arms pub along Alderley Road and into Alderley, to name but three.
My conclusion is that the whole expensive exercise is nothing more than a smoke screen to hide CEC's & its newly elected leader real but secretive agenda i.e. move the library & leisure centre for meggamillions of pounds....... for Crewe.