Local plan scoping consultation

Dear Strategic Planning Team,
I am writing in response to the consultation regarding Cheshire East Council’s new Local Plan and, in particular, the suggestion that the Green Belt land adjoining South Acre Drive could be considered as a potential site for housing development.
I live at 23 South Acre Drive, immediately adjoining the land in question, and I feel very strongly that this land should remain as Green Belt and should not be released for housing development.
The open land is an important part of the character of the area and provides a valuable transition between the existing houses and the surrounding countryside. Building on it would permanently change the character and appearance of the area and would have a significant visual impact on the residents whose homes directly adjoin the proposed site.
I am particularly concerned about the impact that development would have on my home at 23 South Acre Drive. The land is immediately adjacent to my property, and any housing development would inevitably result in a loss of the open aspect that we currently have. It would also fundamentally change the peaceful character of the area.
I would ask Cheshire East Council to give proper consideration to the following:
• Green Belt land should not be released for development unless there is a clearly demonstrated and compelling need to do so.
• Brownfield land and other suitable non-Green Belt sites should be fully considered before Green Belt land is lost.
• The development would have a significant and permanent visual impact on the landscape and the character of this part of Macclesfield.
• The Green Belt provides an important buffer between the existing built-up area and the open countryside. Removing it would extend the built environment into the countryside.
• The land is particularly important because of its open and elevated character, meaning that new housing could be visually prominent from the surrounding area.
• The cumulative impact on existing residents and the surrounding area should also be carefully considered, including access, traffic, privacy, noise and the overall change to the character of the neighbourhood.
I understand that the suggestion of this land for housing does not currently constitute a planning application or mean that the land has been allocated for development. Nevertheless, I believe it is extremely important that residents make their views known at this early stage, before any decision is made about the future of the land.
I respectfully ask Cheshire East Council to retain this land within the Green Belt and not identify it as a site for housing development in the new Local Plan.
This is not simply an area of unused land. It is an important part of the character of our neighbourhood and the open countryside around Macclesfield, and once it is built upon it can never be returned to its present state.
Please record my objection to the potential development of this Green Belt land as part of the current Local Plan consultation.
Yours faithfully,
Gillian Kirby