Local plan scoping consultation

Haslington – infrastructure-led development and cumulative impact
I am concerned about the level of further housing development being considered in and around Haslington and the cumulative impact this could have on our village.
Haslington has already experienced significant growth. The parish population increased by approximately 15% between 2001 and 2021, while the number of households increased by approximately 29%. There has also been substantial development since 2021.
Further development should therefore not be considered on a site-by-site basis. Cheshire East should assess the cumulative impact of all existing, approved and potential developments around Haslington.
The Dingle Primary School has already required an expansion providing 70 additional places, completed in 2024. Local planning evidence continues to identify pressure on primary school places.
Local planning evidence also indicates pressure on Haslington Surgery, while our local dentist has no available NHS capacity. Having a school, GP surgery or dentist physically in the village does not necessarily mean there is spare capacity for thousands of additional residents.
There are also significant concerns about traffic. The B5077 Crewe Road and surrounding network, including Crewe Green Roundabout, already experience congestion. Local observations reported to the Parish Council have recorded queues exceeding 200 metres. Future planning decisions should therefore be based on real observed traffic conditions as well as developer traffic modelling.
I regularly commute into Crewe via the Crewe Green Roundabout and at busy times this can become very challenging to enter the roundabout or to navigate the roundabout safely between entering on Hungerford Rd and exiting towards Haslington with road users regularly making mistakes exiting towards the M6. The addition of many new homes and new road users will only increase risk and delay.
[personal information removed] I am concerned that expansion from Crewe and surrounding areas is compromising the nature of the village by removal of greenbelt and planned gaps between the village and the town. The separation between town and village is a key cultural element and I am deeply concerned over the continued erosion of green space accessed by residents of both Crewe and Haslington. The ability to access countryside for all residents of the local area should be protected within this local plan.
I am concerned by housing being created without infrastructure and how it is setting people up to live car-centric lives. The ability to walk or cycle within our local area should be prioritised. This is particularly true for creation of large housing estates with no additional school provision, or school provision that is not reasonably possible to walk a young child to, or for an older child to be able to walk home safely by themselves.
With climate change in effect and the recent summer a demonstration of the world that we need to adapt to, sewage, drainage and effective water management methods need to be a key element within any new development approved across Cheshire East. Cheshire East should prioritise developers provisioning renewable energy sources for all new builds.
Finally, Haslington is home to a much-loved colony of nesting swifts. Further development needs to offset the damage to their nesting and hunting sites with regionally appropriate replanting. Cheshire East could also adopt the requirement that swift nest boxes must be built into all new homes.
I believe Haslington should have an infrastructure first approach to future development.
Before additional housing land is allocated, Cheshire East should demonstrate:
1. That there are sufficient primary school places.
2. That there is genuine spare GP capacity.
3. That there is NHS dental capacity.
4. That the road network has sufficient capacity based on real traffic conditions.
5. The cumulative traffic impact of all existing, approved and proposed developments.
6. That drainage and sewage infrastructure has sufficient capacity.
7. That additional development will not increase flood risk.
8. That public transport and pedestrian infrastructure are adequate.
9. That important green spaces, countryside and wildlife habitats are properly protected.
10. That suitable brownfield and previously developed land has been considered before further greenfield land around Haslington is released.
I am not opposed to appropriate and sustainable development. However, Haslington has already taken substantial growth and I believe infrastructure must keep pace with development rather than residents being asked to accept development first and wait for infrastructure afterwards.
I therefore ask Cheshire East Council to ensure that the new Local Plan establishes clear and measurable requirements for infrastructure capacity and cumulative impact before further housing land around Haslington is allocated.