Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 6443

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway considers the Local Plan should plan for at least the latest standard-method housing need figure and take a proactive approach by providing for higher housing growth. They highlight the substantial increase in housing need compared with the adopted Local Plan requirement and argue additional provision could address historic undersupply, support economic development and reduce the need for future land releases. Bellway also highlights the Council’s reported 3.3-year housing land supply and considers insufficient supply increases pressure for development outside settlement boundaries. They argue that allocating sufficient housing land through the Local Plan would provide a more planned approach to meeting housing needs.

Comment

Representation ID: 6444

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

The respondent notes national policy requires exceptional circumstances to justify alterations to Green Belt boundaries, with previously developed and underutilised land, increased densities and suitable sites outside the Green Belt considered first. They recognise Grey Belt should be prioritised over other Green Belt land where boundary changes are necessary. However, they argue that the Council’s housing land supply position, limited availability of suitable brownfield land and significantly increased housing need mean additional deliverable sites will be required. They consider allocating suitable and unconstrained land, including sites within the open countryside, will therefore be essential to ensure the Local Plan can meet identified development needs.

Comment

Representation ID: 6445

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway strongly supports progressing the emerging Local Plan without waiting for preparation of the Cheshire and Warrington Spatial Development Strategy. They highlight that the strategic policies in the existing Local Plan Strategy have not been reviewed or updated since its adoption in 2017 and consider it important that an up-to-date planning framework is established promptly. With adoption of the new Local Plan currently anticipated in March 2029, Bellway notes that the Council remains around two and a half years away from having an updated plan addressing identified development needs. They argue that further delays would reduce the Council’s ability to plan effectively for the location of future development.

Comment

Representation ID: 6446

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports the need for the new Local Plan to be accompanied by a realistic, achievable and distinctive vision statement and a series of objectives to achieve it. The vision must include the need to deliver good quality, sustainable homes to include a range of types, tenures and sizes. A key objective is to deliver the minimum housing requirement informed by SM3 (to be reinforced by the spatial strategy and range of residential allocations to contribute to the Council’s housing supply).

Comment

Representation ID: 6447

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports the national presumption in favour of sustainable development and considers the Local Plan should positively plan to meet development needs while promoting sustainable growth. They support the Council’s intention to determine development requirements using evidence on housing and employment needs, infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints and regeneration opportunities. Bellway considers new housing should be directed towards the most sustainable, physically unconstrained and deliverable locations. They emphasise the importance of identifying sites capable of delivering homes early in the new Plan period, arguing that this would help address current housing undersupply while ensuring that future development contributes to a sustainable pattern of growth across Cheshire East.

Comment

Representation ID: 6448

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway broadly supports the existing four-tier settlement hierarchy, including the identification of Crewe and Macclesfield as Principal Towns, Alsager as a Key Service Centre, and Goostrey and Holmes Chapel as Local Service Centres. They consider settlements within these tiers capable of accommodating development to meet identified needs. Bellway agrees that the settlement hierarchy should inform the spatial distribution of growth, with particular emphasis on sustainable locations in the upper three tiers, while taking account of infrastructure capacity and the geographical distribution of needs. However, they argue that the hierarchy should remain flexible and should not prevent suitable development in sustainable lower-tier settlements from coming forward.

Comment

Representation ID: 6449

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports considering a range of spatial options to accommodate future development, including development within settlements, edge-of-settlement growth, strategic urban extensions and new settlements. They caution against relying excessively on the densification of brownfield sites because of their limited availability and potential technical and viability constraints, which may delay housing delivery. Bellway advocates a varied spatial strategy incorporating a broad range of sites to provide greater flexibility and resilience in housing supply. They consider this should include urban and edge-of-settlement locations, as well as appropriate development opportunities within the open countryside and Green Belt, to support delivery of the Borough’s housing requirements.

Comment

Representation ID: 6450

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports aligning Local Plan policies for development within and outside settlements with national policy. They highlight support for residential and mixed-use development outside settlements where sites are within walking distance of well-connected stations, physically well related to settlements, appropriately scaled and do not prejudice longer-term comprehensive development. They also note national policy support for edge-of-settlement development where this addresses unmet need. Bellway argues that sustainable, well-related edge-of-settlement sites within the open countryside should therefore be prioritised for housing. They consider this would support a plan-led approach, meet identified needs and reduce the likelihood of speculative housing applications coming forward.

Comment

Representation ID: 6451

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports the Council’s intention to prepare a Housing Needs Assessment [HNA] to form part of the evidence base that sits behind future policies around affordable housing, mix and tenure. The HNA should not only consider the mix and housing type requirements at a Borough-wide level, but should also consider the requirements of smaller sub-areas to inform the approach to be taken at a more local level. This will help to ensure the polices are fully evidenced and justified.

Comment

Representation ID: 6452

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Bellway Homes Limited (Manchester)

Agent: Lichfields

Bellway supports the need for the new Local Plan to establish affordable housing requirements,
including the overall number of homes to be provided, and the tenure mix, informed by evidence on housing needs and development viability. This should include consideration as to whether the overall housing requirement should be uplifted to ensure the delivery of more affordable housing. Bellway requests that the Council allows flexibility in the application of affordable housing, and has regard to all the tenure types identified in the Framework. The policy should be applied on a site-by-site basis accounting for viability, locational requirements and market factors.