Local plan scoping consultation

I wish to formally register my strong objection to significant additional development in and around High Legh. I ask Cheshire East Council to give full weight to the views and concerns of existing residents when preparing the new Local Plan.
I recognise that the current consultation is a scoping exercise and does not itself allocate specific development sites. However, it is an important opportunity to establish the principles that will determine where and how development is accommodated across Cheshire East in the coming years. The Council has confirmed that the new Local Plan will shape the location of future homes, infrastructure, transport and community facilities.
My planning position
I do not support High Legh being identified as a location for significant strategic housing growth.
High Legh is a rural village with a distinctive character and a limited range of local infrastructure and services. In my view, significant further development would be disproportionate to the scale and function of the village and would place unacceptable pressure on infrastructure, roads, services, the countryside and the existing community.
This is not an objection to all development in principle. Development that is genuinely appropriate to the scale and character of High Legh and meets identified local needs should be considered on its merits. However, I strongly object to any strategy that seeks to use High Legh to accommodate substantial levels of growth without first demonstrating that the necessary infrastructure and services are available and deliverable.
High Legh Neighbourhood Plan
A particularly important consideration is that High Legh already has a made Neighbourhood Plan, which was approved following local consultation and referendum and became part of Cheshire East’s Development Plan in January 2025.
The new Local Plan should properly recognise and respect the locally prepared planning framework for High Legh. The views of the local community expressed through the Neighbourhood Plan process should not simply be overridden by a future strategic growth strategy without compelling evidence and proper justification.
It is particularly important that the Council considers why sites and forms of development were previously considered unsuitable through the neighbourhood planning process.
Infrastructure and services
High Legh does not have the infrastructure, facilities or public transport provision necessary to support significant additional growth without substantial investment.
Before considering any substantial allocation, the Council should provide robust evidence concerning:
● school capacity;
● healthcare provision;
● drainage and wastewater infrastructure;
● water and other utilities;
● public transport;
● roads and junction capacity;
● footpaths and pedestrian safety;
● cycling infrastructure;
● community facilities;
● recreational and open-space provision; and
● emergency services.
Infrastructure should not be treated as something that can simply be addressed after the principle of development has been established. The ability to accommodate growth should be demonstrated before High Legh is identified as a strategic location.
Highways and traffic
I am particularly concerned about the impact of additional housing on the local highway network.
High Legh’s roads are rural in character and were not designed to accommodate large-scale increases in traffic. Additional development would inevitably increase vehicle movements and could worsen congestion, road safety and the experience of existing residents.
Any future assessment must consider the cumulative impact of all potential development affecting High Legh and the surrounding road network, rather than assessing individual sites separately.
The Council should also consider whether residents would realistically be able to travel to work, school, healthcare and other services by public transport, walking or cycling. Simply proposing mitigation measures does not make an otherwise car-dependent location sustainable.
Green Belt, countryside and landscape
The rural setting of High Legh is fundamental to its character and identity.
Significant expansion would risk the gradual urbanisation of the village and the loss of the distinction between the settlement and surrounding countryside. The Council should therefore give proper consideration to the Green Belt, landscape character, agricultural land, biodiversity, wildlife habitats, hedgerows and other environmental assets.
Once open countryside is developed, its loss is effectively permanent.
Cumulative impact
The Council must consider the cumulative impact of development around High Legh, rather than looking at individual sites in isolation.
The combined effect of additional housing could place considerable pressure on roads, schools, healthcare, drainage, utilities and community facilities while fundamentally changing the character of the village.
A development strategy that appears acceptable when individual sites are considered separately may be wholly inappropriate when the total scale of growth is considered.
Proportionate growth
I believe the future planning strategy should recognise that not every settlement can or should accommodate strategic levels of growth.
High Legh should not be treated as a convenient location for housing simply because land may be available. The scale of development must be appropriate to the settlement’s infrastructure, services, transport connections, environmental capacity and established character.
Any future development should be proportionate, locally appropriate and supported by demonstrable infrastructure capacity.
Conclusion
For these reasons, my planning position is clear:
I strongly object to the identification of High Legh as a location for significant strategic growth within the new Cheshire East Local Plan.
I ask the Council to recognise the limitations of High Legh’s infrastructure and transport network, the importance of its rural character and surrounding countryside, the cumulative impacts of further development, and the locally expressed planning preferences reflected in the High Legh Neighbourhood Plan.
If the Council considers that High Legh should accommodate additional development, I ask that it provides clear and independently robust evidence demonstrating:
1. why High Legh is an appropriate location for that level of growth;
2. how the additional traffic can be safely accommodated;
3. how schools, healthcare and other services will be expanded;
4. how drainage, wastewater and utilities capacity will be provided;
5. how the rural character and landscape will be protected;
6. how Green Belt and environmental impacts will be addressed; and
7. how the cumulative impact of development will be mitigated.
Until such evidence is available, I do not believe there is a sound planning basis for identifying High Legh for significant strategic development.