Local plan scoping consultation

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to object to the inclusion, consideration, or future allocation of land at 71 Main Road, Shavington (site reference HE148 / CFS26 514) for housing development as part of the new Cheshire East Local Plan.

1. This site has already been refused twice and dismissed at appeal

This land was the subject of planning application 14/1669N (outline, up to 44 dwellings), which was refused by the Council. A resubmission, 15/2147N (up to 43 dwellings), was also refused, and the subsequent appeal against that refusal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate. The Council's reasons for refusal included:

- Significant erosion of the Green Gap between the built-up areas of Shavington and Crewe, adversely affecting the visual character of the landscape, contrary to Policy NE4 (Green Gaps) with harm found to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme
- Insufficient information to demonstrate the site could accommodate the proposed number of dwellings together with the required level of open space.

These planning judgements were tested at appeal and upheld. Nothing about the physical characteristics of the site has changed since then, and the fundamental harm identified loss of the Green Gap separating Shavington from Crewe remains as relevant today as it was then.

2. The site was reassessed and not allocated in the current Local Plan process

In the Council's own 2020 Shavington Settlement Report (prepared to support the Site Allocations and Development Policies Document), this land (referenced there as CFS587/CFS213) was included in the pool of sites considered for Shavington but was not selected for allocation. The report concluded that, as a Local Service Centre, Shavington did not require specific housing allocations, and the settlement boundary review did not bring this parcel within the built-up area it remains designated as Open Countryside/Green Gap. This represents a recent, evidence-based conclusion by the Council itself that this land is not needed or suitable for release.

3. Highway safety on Main Road

Main Road is narrow along this stretch, to the extent that buses can only pass in one direction at a time. Previous objections to development here (and on adjoining land) raised serious concerns about highway safety, particularly given the proximity of the site to routes used by schoolchildren. A development of this scale would generate a substantial increase in vehicle movements onto a road that is not suited to accommodate them safely.

The road surface itself is also a concern. Main Road already suffers from subsidence in places, and its narrow, aging construction was not designed to carry sustained heavy loads. Construction traffic during the build-out of a scheme of this size HGVs, delivery lorries and construction plant would place significant additional stress on a road already showing signs of subsidence, risking further deterioration and damage to the carriageway. This would be compounded over the longer term by the day-to-day increase in car trips generated by up to 44 new dwellings once occupied. The cumulative effect of construction-phase heavy traffic followed by permanently increased car movements would accelerate wear on a road that is already struggling to cope, likely requiring repeated repairs and creating ongoing safety hazards for residents, cyclists and pedestrians.

4. Infrastructure capacity

Shavington has already absorbed significant housing growth in recent years (including large strategic allocations such as the Shavington/Wybunbury Triangle and East Shavington sites). Further development on Main Road would add pressure to local infrastructure, including:
- Drainage and foul sewage capacity historic reports of the sewage system backing up on Main Road
- School place capacity at Shavington Academy and Shavington Primary School
- GP and healthcare capacity locally

5. Landscape and character harm

The site retains hedgerow boundaries and mature trees, including a line of mature conifers, and forms part of the open, undeveloped character that maintains visual and physical separation between Shavington and Crewe. Its development would harm this character and set a precedent for further encroachment into the Green Gap along Main Road.

6. Conclusion

For the reasons set out above a directly relevant appeal dismissal, the Council's own recent conclusion that the site is not needed or suitable, highway safety, infrastructure capacity, and landscape/Green Gap harm.
I object to this site being brought forward for housing in the new Local Plan. I would ask that this representation, and the site's planning history, be given full weight at every future stage of plan preparation, including the forthcoming Plan Content and Evidence and Proposed Local Plan consultation stages.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Gabbitas