Local plan scoping consultation

We feel it is the duty of the East Cheshire Council to endeavour to retain our Green Belt for the following reasons:

1. First and foremost before any Green Belt is considered for development they must consider Brownfield sites. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) organisation's State of Brownfield research shows that there are enough (brownfield) sites in England to build 1.4 million new homes. Approximately 50% of these sites already have some form of planning. It should be noted that prioritising brownfield sites would allow for quicker timelines compared to greenfield sites and allow the government to reach its new homes target. Revitalisation of brownfield sites can regenerate communities and remove eyesore buildings and waste land.

2. The removal of yet more Green Belt will have a significant and negative visual impact on the landscape and the character of the surrounding area of Macclesfield.

3.The Green Belt is and should remain an important buffer and visual transition between the built environment and the beautiful open countryside.

4. The Green Belt protects the landscape, particularly where Green Belt land is topographically elevated and where built development will be particularly dominant and overbearing.