Local plan scoping consultation

I write in response to the the Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation. I am a resident of Cheshire East (Tytherington SK10). The future of the borough and Adlington in particular is hugely important to me, as an individual living here, as a member of the community and as a parent of two young children who will be growing and contributing in their own turn to the environment and community around them.

Living in Tytherington, I am immersed in the surrounding environment and this is a very strong reason my husband and I chose to move from urban Greater London to east Cheshire. We sought clean air, green spaces and biodiversity in which to raise our children. Adlington, Prestbury, Bollington all need preserving for the fields and woodland and waterways they provide the local population. Farming is particularly important and it is appalling that the locals farms are either being evicted or at threat of eviction when food security is paramount to the UK, in the face of global wars and climate breakdown.

In addition, the traffic is already very bad around this area and needs to be curtailed not increased with new houses, where the infrastructure would be totally lacking. I would like the Local Plan to demonstrate that traffic and infrastructure has been properly considered, because from living in Cheshire East it is very obvious that housing developers don't consider it and once the homes are completed in other areas, the local residents have been left with inadequate roads and traffic control measures. Further to this, the Local Plan must consider whether or not there are necessary schools, healthcare, water, sewerage and drainage that can be provided to support the many proposed development submissions already received - my experience of all the above (particuarly water, which in Tytherington we frequently lose and United Utilities have to provide us with bottled water) is that these services are not currently sufficient for the existing population.

As noted, the farmland around Adlington, Prestbury and Bollington is of paramount importance for our food security. The Local Plan must demonstrate it understands this. Your own wheatsheaf crest shows that East Cheshire's farmland is key to the communities within the county and to the UK more widely. The Local Plan should protect and preserve farmland.

My family and I regularly walk through the woodland and green spaces in Adlington, Prestbury and Bollington. It is essential to our health and wellbeing, and protecting our green spaces and wildlife is now more important than ever, it is the only thing that buffers the terrible effects of our climate breakdown and we need this biodiversity. The hedges, fields, waterways and woodland all provide habitat and wildlife corridors.

The Green Belt is important to me and my family for these reasons - the Local Plan must protect it from developers and our current Government who seem oblivious to climate breakdown and the positive impact green spaces have on people's health and wellbeing. ANY developments must be considered for Brownfield sites first and foremost in the Local Plan.

Lastly, it is imperative the Council looks at the cumulative impact of the many submissions for potential development around Adlington. If these are give the go ahead, they will effectively remove the green belt and Cheshire East will become part of the Greater Manchester urban sprawl. The impact on the ecology of this area would be disastrous for the many species of plant and animals that we should be proud live here, and that we are custodians of.

To reiterate: I support a brownfield-first approach and ask the council to demonstrate that suitable brownfield has been properly considered before Greenbelt or productive farmland is released.