Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 6365

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW considers the proposed Local Plan period to 2045 insufficient and recommends extending it to at least 2050. They argue that national policy establishes a minimum rather than maximum plan period and allows longer periods to support strategic development and infrastructure. A longer timeframe would provide greater resilience against delays in plan preparation and adoption, while supporting the long lead-in times associated with housing, infrastructure and strategic sites. They consider planning to 2050 would provide greater certainty for developers, landowners, infrastructure providers and communities, maintain a robust pipeline of deliverable sites, accommodate fluctuating delivery rates and reduce the risk of insufficient housing and employment land.

Comment

Representation ID: 6366

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW considers the Local Plan vision should be ambitious, positive and delivery-focused, providing a clear framework for meeting Cheshire East’s housing, employment and infrastructure needs sustainably. They argue the Plan should work alongside and help shape the emerging Cheshire and Warrington Spatial Development Strategy by proactively identifying strategic growth opportunities. Growth should be directed towards well-connected locations related to existing settlements and capable of delivering social, economic and environmental benefits. BDW particularly highlights opportunities in the north of the Borough to support existing settlements and improve connections between housing and major employment locations, while balancing these against growth opportunities in the south.

Comment

Representation ID: 6367

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW considers site identification and selection should use clear, transparent and consistently applied criteria while allowing flexibility for individual site circumstances. They recommend assessing accessibility, services, relationships with settlements, sustainable development patterns, Green Belt and Grey Belt, economic growth, deliverability, environmental and physical constraints, landscape impacts, biodiversity and green infrastructure. Assessments should also consider community benefits, place-making and opportunities for comprehensive strategic development capable of delivering infrastructure, affordable housing and other benefits. BDW highlights the importance of balancing constraints with opportunities for mitigation and enhancement and requests that their sites submitted through previous Call for Sites exercises are considered during the assessment process.

Comment

Representation ID: 6368

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW supports a borough-wide Green Belt assessment to identify Grey Belt land and inform decisions on potential Green Belt release. They consider a comprehensive and objective assessment necessary given the scale of housing needs and to identify reasonable opportunities for sustainable development. They support applying national Green Belt policy and consider the assessment should follow the new NPPF, including Policies GB1 to GB8 and Annex E. BDW considers land meeting the definition of Grey Belt should be clearly identified and assessed through the wider site selection process. They also request that findings are considered alongside housing and employment requirements and reasonable spatial strategy options.

Comment

Representation ID: 6369

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW recommends that the approach to Strategic Green Gaps should assess the actual contribution individual areas of land make to maintaining settlement separation and distinct identity. They argue that land making little or no meaningful contribution should not be subject to the same level of constraint as land performing a substantive Green Gap function. The site selection process should assess land according to its function rather than applying a blanket restriction based solely on designation. BDW considers the Local Plan should distinguish between parcels according to their contribution and provide sufficient flexibility, removing sites from the Strategic Green Gap designation where they do not meaningfully fulfil its purposes.

Comment

Representation ID: 6370

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW supports an evidence-led review of the settlement hierarchy based on settlements’ current and future roles, services, employment opportunities, transport connectivity and capacity for sustainable growth. They consider principal settlements generally suitable for significant growth because of their infrastructure, services and accessibility, and recommend assessing their capacity for larger-scale development. They also suggest settlements capable of accommodating substantial sustainable growth and supporting new infrastructure could be elevated within the hierarchy. The assessment should consider functional relationships between settlements, including commuting patterns, transport connections and shared services. BDW considers this approach would direct development towards sustainable locations and support settlements’ long-term vitality and resilience.

Comment

Representation ID: 6371

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW supports considering a range of locations and development forms to achieve a balanced, sustainable distribution of growth. They advocate directing significant development towards principal settlements with established services, infrastructure, employment and transport connections. Particular emphasis should be given to northern Cheshire East, reflecting its economic relationship with Greater Manchester, commuting patterns and rail connectivity. BDW considers growth near railway stations could reduce car dependency and improve sustainable access to employment. They also support strategic urban extensions where larger developments can deliver schools, community facilities, affordable housing, sustainable transport, green infrastructure and biodiversity improvements, strengthening the long-term vitality and sustainability of existing settlements.

Comment

Representation ID: 6372

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW highlights the substantial increase in Cheshire East’s Local Housing Need and considers the Local Plan must allocate sufficient deliverable sites to meet housing requirements and maintain a robust housing land supply. They refer to the Council’s reported 3.3-year housing land supply as evidence of the need for a resilient and flexible portfolio of allocations. BDW considers maintaining a five-year supply would provide greater certainty and reduce reliance on speculative development. They support an updated Housing Needs Assessment and advocate positively planning for housing through a balanced range of allocations, combining strategic urban extensions with smaller sustainable sites to maintain resilient housing delivery throughout the Plan period.

Comment

Representation ID: 6373

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

The respondent considers affordable housing provision to be a significant challenge for the Borough, highlighting worsening housing affordability and a substantial identified shortfall in affordable homes. They argue that insufficient housing supply will increase prices, make it harder for first-time buyers to access the market and exacerbate demographic imbalances. They consider that difficulties retaining and accommodating a working-age population could negatively affect the local economy, services, facilities and employers’ ability to recruit staff. As affordable housing is primarily delivered alongside market housing, they argue the Local Plan should allocate sufficient viable residential sites capable of delivering both affordable and market housing to meet identified needs.

Comment

Representation ID: 6374

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Barratt David Wilson North West

Agent: Asteer Planning

BDW supports reviewing and updating the Local Plan’s housing mix policies and advocates a flexible approach rather than applying a uniform requirement across the Borough. They consider housing mix should reflect differing local circumstances, respond to market demand when sites come forward and accommodate changes in population, preferences and demographics throughout the Plan period. BDW argues that this flexibility would allow individual developments to respond appropriately to local housing needs and changing conditions over time. They also recommend that the new Local Plan should supersede and update the Cheshire East Borough Residential Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document, which was adopted in 2017.