Residents fight against Wilmslow Vision

Wilmslow residents are being urged to stand united and say 'no, no, no' to any development on Green Belt land.

Following the publication of the Draft Wilmslow Vision, a number of local resident groups have been formed to raise awareness of the proposed plans, which include the suggestion of building 1500 new homes in Wilmslow by 2030.

Hundreds of local residents have attended meetings across the town during the past week, where their anger and concern over the draft proposals has been clearly shown.

Residents have expressed their outrage at the draft proposals and determination to resist any development on the Green Belt which surrounds Wilmslow.

Meetings have been organised across the town, including in Dean Row, Fulshaw and Upcast Lane, to raise awareness of the Draft Wilmslow Vision, drive participation and share best thinking about how best to complete the questionnaire.

Last night approximately 150 residents from Welton Drive and the surrounding area gathered at Alderley Edge Golf Club. They were joined by Cllr Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, as well as Cllr Ruth McNulty and Cllr Adrian Bradley of Wilmslow Town Council.

Derek Altoft, of Chesham Road, addressed the audience saying "This is not the place or time for Nimbyism we need to draw attention to this consultation, we cannot sit back and do nothing."

Derek added "We really do have to fight this and on a broad front, it is not just about our bit. It is going to be about us and what we do, we've got to fire ourselves up.

"We need to say no to everything. If there is one word I want you to go away with tonight it is no."

Derek raised his concerns about the lack of supportive data, 'extremely vague' map, omission of brownfield sites, no household leafleting, the 'shocking' questionnaire and the impact of building 200 homes on the Green Belt off Welton Drive which 'would be disproportionate to the community'.

Cllr Rod Menlove said "This is a tremendous turnout. As a local councillor I am very very pleased to see so many people engaged with this process.

He added "My view is no development in Green Belt, including the potential gypsy site. If any of these sites are in Green Belt they can be discounted."

It was standing room only at Lindow Cricket Club on Thursday, 19th April, when approximately 100 residents from the Fulshaw area of town got together to discuss the Draft Plan.

One of the organisers, Manuel Golding told wilmslow.co.uk "Residents expressed their outrage at the CEC's proposal for 100 dwellings on the Green Belt fields along Alderley Road, between Donkey Lane and Fulshaw Park South. There were also concerned residents from other nearby areas, especially those who will be severely affected by the Welton Grove Green Belt proposal.

"There were about 100 people crammed into the club's meeting room, with others in the entrance hall, such was the concern of locals to the intended spoiling and destruction of leafy Wilmslow. The attendees were not only concerned with the destruction of the Green Belt in all areas of Wilmslow that the Vision document lists but also with the outrageous proposals for the town centre.

"This includes selling off the prime site on which the library sits, at a very central point in the town, convenient and accessible to all. The demolition of the only 30 years old leisure centre, the intended loss of the Rectory Fields. The latter two are believed to be the site for a new supermarket complex. The idea of a cinema/theatre included in the proposed new site was thought to be incredulous, especially as the format for film release and out of town theatre has changed in the past 20 years.

"The meeting agreed unanimously that we must work with all other groups in the town, Dean Row, Upcast Lane, Welton Rd area etc. This will give us greater numbers, we will not work against each other and will give the town's people one large and united voice."

It was also decided at the meeting that all Wilmslow's residents should be involved, not just those immediately affected by potential alterations to the Green Belt, various 'working groups of expertise' would be set up to concentrate on the different elements and a bullet point list of suggested answers to the questionnaire would be put together.

The following evening Friends of Dean Row, established to represent the views of people living near Dean Row, organised a meeting with local councillors to provide residents with the opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns.

On Friday, 20th April, Dean Row Village Hall was crammed with 200 people including Cllr Michael Jones, soon to be leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Paul Whiteley, Cllr Jim Crockatt and Cllr Don Glover along with Cllr Martin Watkins, Cllr Christopher Dodson and Cllr Jim Crockatt from Wilmslow Town Council.

Concerns raised by local residents again included the lack of consultation, as residents had not been leafleted, not enough brochures and questionnaires being printed, the nature of the questionnaire and brochure which were felt to direct people to certain conclusions and the stakeholder group not being representative of the residents of Wilmslow – in particular because it contained interest groups with specific agendas.

Residents who spoke at the meeting also felt: there was no justification for the large number of houses, the map in the brochure was unclear without more geographical detail, brown field sites should have been itemised, with these up for development first, and the overall lack of detail upon which reasoned decisions could be made.

Speaking after the meeting, an angry Wilmslow resident who wished to remain anonymous, said "This so called consultation seems to be a complete sham. The councillors say it reflects the views of the stakeholders but not the views of the council. It was written by consultants employed by the council and the council's only role has been to put it out to consultation. Just who owns the draft plan? The councillors are against building in the green belt and urge us to say no on the questionnaire but half of Wilmslow doesn't know about it!"

Concerns over a "conflict of interest" with consultants Broadway Malyan were also raised, with one resident saying "they have Wimpey and other major builders as clients and have a vested interest in seeing Cheshire East developed". Cllr Michael Jones agreed that he would look in to this.

More meetings are planned over the coming weeks and the intention going forward is for these groups to work together to give Wilmslow residents a united and more powerful voice.

Residents are also being called to attend Wilmslow Leisure Centre on Thursday, 26th April, at 7pm to illustrate the strength of feeling.

Manuel Golding said "It is essential we are united, that way we will be able to pool our resources. We are going to need expertise in finance, PR, law and we need people who understand planning - it is going to be a long battle.

"We do need to get the message out to people on the other side of town, I think they are going to be aware as there is a hell of a Tsunami coming into this town."

If you are organising a local meeting you can add the details to our events calendar and share your views on the Draft Wilmslow Vision document using the comment box below.

Residents are being urged to have their say of by completing the questionnaire, either online or using the form which is available at Wilmslow Leisure Centre.

The deadline for submitting the questionnaire is now Thursday 31st May. One questionnaire can be submitted per person, it is not restricted to one per household and anyone with an interest in the future of the area can submit a form.

Tags:

Cheshire East Council, Wilmslow Town Council, Wilmslow Vision