Local plan scoping consultation

Dear Local Plan Team


Please accept this response to the consultation from me as one of the ward councillors for Broken Cross & Upton Ward, Macclesfield.


The current CE Local Plan opens with the commitment that:


“When considering development proposals the council will take a positive approach that reflects the presumption in favour of sustainable development contained in the National Planning Policy Framework. It will always work proactively with applicants to find joint solutions which mean that proposals can be approved wherever possible, and to secure development that improves the economic, social and environmental conditions in the area”.


Introduction: There is no doubt that the current national housing crisis and the targets that have been set for Cheshire East will necessitate some difficult decisions, however I urge those who are drafting the Local Plan to factor in the needs and expectations of residents and the importance of preserving Greenbelt, the environment and the natural world, which has been the subject of so many positive Cheshire East initiatives since 2023 including biodiversity net gain and SUDS, to protect and manage the environment and to address the effects of development.


Other important considerations:


Sustainably: The new Local Plan, while acknowledging the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework of 2024 and upcoming additional changes, must nevertheless take a realistic view of the definition of sustainability, particularly when looking at Greenbelt/Greybelt definitions. While acknowledging the expectations of government in the increased housing targets passed down to Cheshire East and the short timescale expected for delivery, the legitimate expectations of the residents of Cheshire East, the genuine needs of those currently seeking social and affordable housing and the urgency of climate change mitigation and protection of our environment must be high priorities in the scoping of the new Local Plan. I ask those who are drafting the new Local Plan to be radical in looking for new ways to achieve its objectives.


In a truly sustainable development framework Cheshire East would encourage and accept proposals for development from a range of providers, not just the bigger and more established companies and therefore stimulate healthier competition and hopefully drive up quality of building and finishing in a sector in which the biggest companies dominate and potential buyers have little power if their homes have minor or even major “snagging” difficulties. This is the European model, in which a range of providers - private developers, non-profit housing associations, public municipal bodies, and building cooperatives—are all represented, driving a more positive overall environment for quality and diversity of the development ecosystem.


Non-profit, public, and cooperative housing providers across Europe regularly outperform purely private developers in green building quality and because these providers retain long-term ownership of the properties rather than selling them for immediate profit, they focus heavily on reducing lifetime operational costs


Additional advantages of a diversified planning environment:
In countries with high provider diversity, such as the Netherlands (where housing associations build a third of all completions), homes are systematically more spacious. Also, social providers prioritise long-term social cohesion, for instance, their designs may intentionally build in wider corridors for disability access and shared community infrastructure. Greater flexibility can be adopted in building techniques and in materials used and all of this can result in an economically healthier landscape for all, greater positive innovation and increased developer accountability.
• AI assessment of relative advantages •
Provider Type Primary Focus Main Impact on Quality
Private Developers Profit margin & rapid sales Drives architectural variety, but can risk corner-cutting if underregulated.
Housing Associations Affordability & long-term asset management Leads the market in energy efficiency and durable, low-maintenance materials.
Cooperatives Community needs & customisation Delivers superior internal layout flexibility and high user satisfaction.
Public Bodies Urban planning & public welfare Guarantees minimum square footage, accessibility compliance, and public green space integration

For instance, Ealing Council has recently partnered with L&Q and Women’s Pioneer Housing to build a 15 storey, 102 flat block in Acton, in the midst of a small arcade of shops and on major transport links.


These are genuinely affordable, social rented homes, expanding the site's capacity to assist vulnerable individuals and addressing a major shortage, as Ealing Council has over 600 single-women households on its housing waitlist. 40% of the homes are allocated directly to women on the council's waitlist (including essential workers like NHS staff and teachers). The remaining 60% are nominated by WPH, with explicit priority given to domestic abuse survivors. The building isa fully electric, low-energy building, the development features air-source heat pumps, solar (PV) panels, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), and wastewater heat recovery systems.


While single-women households and vulnerable women are not the dominant part of Cheshire East’s current housing waiting list, it would surely be possible to adapt the principles of this project to the specific needs of Cheshire East and its own housing list priorities and to offer a genuinely radical solution to housing need without using Greenbelt to do so and with the climate change adaptations listed above to make a sustainable alternative to current building programmes; as well as to explore a more diverse offer in terms of developers and projects preferred. This could be replicated in Cheshire East’s main towns, particularly Crewe and Macclesfield and provide much needed additional footfall to the high streets as well as employment opportunities across the development planning.


Brownfield first: In keeping with the assurances of government and the voices of the CE councillors during the debate of July 2025 which culminated in a Motion which was carried unanimously, the Local Plan should prioritise brownfield reclamation and the repurposing of derelict land and industrial land in our towns before the use of Greenbelt and Greenfield sites. This is what the government promised, what councillors made clear they want and what residents expect.

Cheshire East should investigate how it may negotiate with government and with developers to provide the incentives needed to ensure that brownfield land use is a more deliverable prospect for developers to take on.

Infrastructure before growth: The Motion in July 2025 also asked that that housing targets account for environmental policies, higher social housing proportions, and front-loaded infrastructure like health care and flood prevention, (as well as committing CE to negotiations with government to reduce targets and time scales in which to deliver them - not in the scope of this consultation or the Local Plan)

All of these earlier elements of the Motion should be reflected in the scoping of the Local Plan and in its overall vision.

Further, there is no doubt that the new Local Plan should adopt an approach of “infrastructure before growth” and ensure that all local infrastructure is realistically and independently assessed before development is permitted. For instance, Whirley Rd Primary School in Broken Cross & Upton is currently struggling to offer places to local children, surveys by the Ashfield Drive Residents’ Group identify significant shortages of GP and dentist availability and residents across the ward complain of traffic, the use of “rat runs” and inconsiderate and dangerous parking, all in roads which are currently unsuitable to take the current traffic build ups.

The new Local Plan needs to ensure that realistic and independent assessments of all of this as well as the current and projected future issues with capacity at Macclesfield Hospital, with the supplies of water across such increased development areas and the supples of electricity, sewerage and drainage capacity and the effects on the organisation of refuse and recycling services. Cheshire East must build communities that work, not just collections of houses.

Protect spaces between settlements and the original purpose of Greenbelt: At present there is a significant danger of a merging of settlements across Cheshire East as more and more Greenbelt land is classified as Greybelt; for instance, on current planning, there will soon potentially be a swathe of housing across Prestbury Road in Broken Cross & Upton Ward which will leave no real gap between the full Macclesfield housing block from the centre of town and Hurdsfield as far as Prestbury. Current suggested sites for development across Whirley Road, Birtles Road, Sandy Lane and Henbury exacerbate the block of development and the prospective build up of sprawl while encompassing major increase of residential presence in an area which is historically highly contaminated from longstanding industrial works and dumping and unsustainable for a greater residential presence.

Taking Sandy Lane in Broken Cross & Upton Ward, as currently proposed it is not sustainable. There are significant concerns about highway dangers, land contamination and asbestos over many years, lack of access to services and shops which would make developments entirely car dependent and regular flooding of the road with contaminated water. Further, services are restricted and some residents work on oil heating only. Intensive development across sites like this is not conducive to happy and functioning communities and the closing of gaps between these settlements would not only destroy the progress of the Greenbelt, but cause resident resentment, and place strain on all services, reducing the quality of life for all residents, of new and older duration.

Net Zero and climate change mitigation: The current Local Plan has ambitious targets for carbon reduction and sets out clear plans for residential and business adaptation to the stresses of climate change. These must be retained and built upon so that current residents, those who will be moving to CE and businesses are fully prepared for the likely difficulties in climate change to come. The heat and changeable weather of 2026 has shown us that the most up to date climate change mitigations must be part of the new Local and for Cheshire East to take steps towards achieving Net Zero which will improve the heath of residents, quality of place, continue all environmental measures currently in place and generate economic savings for business as well as households.

Numerous residents in areas local to Macclesfield, report concern about peat. For instance, in Broken Cross & Upton Ward the area known as “Longmoss” has seen recorded peat deposits. Residents across the ward have expressed concerns about development on land where there are peat deposits and the treatment of peat during development. There should be site-specific peat-depth and ground investigation in those areas
before the land is treated as developable and enforceable plans for its protection and retention. Any peat deposits would add to the drainage, construction and carbon constraints and could further reduce the usable area of the site. This is a significant issue across several of the proposed development areas in the ward.

Protect our natural environment and wildlife: Cheshire and Warrington’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) highlights decades of decline in nature and the environment. Both the assessment of the LNRS and that of Cheshire Wildlife Trust identifies Cheshire East as suffering from “severe habitat loss, noting it is one of the most nature-depleted areas in the country”. This must be addressed within the new Local Plan.


Most importantly, the environment, wildlife and the natural world must be given greater protection and greater weight in assessments of priorities in the new Local Plan with developers being required to adhere to current CE standards or higher, as part of the considerations included in planning decisions and the overall Plan. Cheshire East must become known as an area where developers and business work alongside wildlife and the natural world, not against it and Cheshire East should cultivate a reputation for expecting and enforcing very high standards of protection of the natural world and wildlife that goes far beyond tree planting and the requirements of hedgehog highways, swift bricks and bat boxes. It is possible for humans to live alongside the natural world and to take active protective and supportive steps, rather than putting wildlife second or merely mitigating the significant harms caused by poor development planning. It is possible to make Cheshire East a by-word for progressive nature protection and side-by-side development (for instance, pioneering the regular expectation of measures such as wildlife bridges and ecoducts, which exist in 40 countries in the world, including the Netherlands, US, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland) but it will take commitment and vision within the Local Plan to set this as a priority which developers cannot sidestep and for which s.106 funds could be negotiated. Residents will support this prioritisation of the environment and the natural world and will support Cheshire East in this commitment.

All of the above is an outline of the scoping and overall vision that the new Local Plan could have. I reserve the right to return to this vision with greater detail and more specific references as the Plan is developed.

Let’s see this new Local Plan as an opportunity for Cheshire East to show that it can plan and develop within the Borough and meet government expectations while also meeting the legitimate expectations of residents. Let’s use as many new and innovative ways as possible to work with all sections of our community in a constructive way so that development becomes a negotiated process with residents and they no longer see it as destructive and a process which will undermine their quality of life, communities and future happiness.

Kind regards

Judy Snowball
Councillor - Broken Cross & Upton, Macclesfield