Local plan scoping consultation

I am writing in response to the current scoping consultation for the new Cheshire East Local Plan, which runs until 5pm on 1 September 2026. I understand this stage is not inviting the submission or allocation of specific sites, and that a further consultation on site allocations will follow. However, I wish to place on record at this early stage my strong concerns regarding the land to the east of Light Alders Lane, which I understand is being considered as a potential location for housing development, so that these constraints are properly reflected in the evidence base and site-selection methodology as the plan progresses.

I would ask that the following matters are given full weight when the Council develops its approach to site selection, sustainability appraisal, and the spatial distribution of development referred to in the scoping document:

1. Traffic and road safety
● Light Alders Lane is not designed to accommodate a material increase in vehicle movements. Any significant housing development would generate substantially more traffic on a road that has very narrow sections, with no pavement and blind spots.
● I would ask that the local plan's evidence base include a proper assessment of highway capacity and road safety on this lane before any site here is considered suitable for allocation.
● More widely, the adjoining road network is already under severe strain: the A6 connection to the A555 is a well-known bottleneck, causing major delays and traffic congestion on a daily basis. Additional housing in this area would add further vehicle movements onto a network that cannot adequately accommodate current traffic flow, and would worsen air pollution for those living nearby. I would ask that the cumulative impact on local junctions and this vehicular corridor is properly assessed as part of the plan's transport evidence base, rather than considered site-by-site in isolation.

2. Loss of green space and wildlife habitat ● This land is currently open farmland and provides green space, habitat for bird life and a wildlife corridor valued by the local community. Its loss would have a direct and irreversible impact on local biodiversity, including legally protected species such as roosting bats and owls.
● The local plan should ensure that its approach to the natural environment (referenced in the scoping document) requires robust ecological survey work before any such site could be considered, and that genuinely low-value land is prioritised for development ahead of functioning farmland.

3. Flooding and drainage
● Farmland performs an important function in absorbing surface water. Building on this land risks increasing surface water run-off and flood risk to existing properties nearby.
● I would ask that the plan's evidence base include a thorough drainage and surface water flood risk assessment for this land, and that any capacity constraints identified are treated as a genuine constraint on development rather than something to be mitigated after the fact. Run off from Light Alders Lane already causes flooding to properties on the adjacent Lyme Road and any loss of absorption by further hard standing surfaces would be detrimental to neighbouring properties.

4. Strain on local services and infrastructure ● Local schools, GP surgeries, water/utility infrastructure, transport links and local roads are already under severe pressure. The scoping document rightly recognises that infrastructure needed to support growth must be planned for, and I would ask that this is treated as a genuine constraint on the scale and location of housing growth in this area, not an afterthought.
● In particular, access roads such as Jackson’s Edge Road, already use traffic calming and traffic lights to control traffic flow. Any increase in traffic would adversely impact the surrounding roads causing further inhibition of traffic flow and severe congestion on link roads.

5. Character and heritage of the local area ● The surrounding area retains a rural, village character that would be permanently altered by development on open farmland. This character is part of what makes the area a desirable and distinctive place to live, and its loss cannot be undone.
● I would ask that the plan's vision and objectives (Chapter 2 of the scoping document) explicitly recognise the protection of rural character and settlement identity as a strategic priority, not simply a design consideration to be addressed once a site has already been allocated.

6. Legal Considerations
I also wish to draw the Council’s attention to the fact that Land Registry historically records that this land is subject to legal covenants restricting its use to agricultural purposes and preventing development. These covenants represent a further significant constraint that should be identified and addressed at the earliest stage of the plan-making process, rather than discovered only once a site has already progressed through the allocation process. I would ask that the Council’s evidence base and site assessment methodology include a check of existing title constraints, including restrictive covenants, so that land which is legally encumbered against development is not carried forward as a credible option without this being properly investigated.

Request
I would ask that these concerns are recorded against the land to the east of Light Alders Lane, and that this location is treated with caution in the site-selection process given the highway, drainage, ecological, infrastructure, and character constraints set out above. I would also be grateful if I could be notified directly of any future consultation stage at which this specific site is put forward for allocation, so that I have the opportunity to submit a fuller, site-specific objection at that time.