Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 3020

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

2.1 C.E.C.’s Climate Emergency declaration must be fully reflected in all policies and planning, prioritising action to prevent as well as adapt to climate change. Amend the seventh bullet to: “adapting to and, wherever possible, avoiding climate change”. To align with policies such as the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, also add: “restoring nature and protecting the natural environment”.
2.3 Add as a reason for preparing the new plan: “The increasingly severe impacts of climate change, habitat loss and biodiversity decline must be urgently addressed in all planning decisions.”

Comment

Representation ID: 3021

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

The revised requirement is a borough wide, top driven macro target which must be linked to affordability, social need, infrastructure, sustainability and environmental capacity, and its application should be monitored across all these areas.
Close attention must be paid to the types of dwelling built and carry equal weight.
The bulleted statements should be reworded to convey the real purpose of the plan which is an opportunity to frame centrally set targets in the context of serious and well reasoned local wishes, within a co-designed vision. Green Belt applications must only be allowed once all other opportunities have been exhausted.

Comment

Representation ID: 3022

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

The strength of Green Belt policy is its permanence. This is an effective way of containing urban sprawl and protecting the countryside, providing the setting for the urban area and vital for quality of life, biodiversity and the rural economy. ‘Grey belt’ undermines the notion of permanence, and ‘protection of the countryside’ is removed as a Green Belt function in defining it. ’Grey Belt’ threatens the integrity of the countryside and all five Green Belt functions should be used in any reassessment of Cheshire East’s Green Belt. Otherwise, CEC must balance development with the importance of nature to people.

Comment

Representation ID: 3023

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

It should not be assumed that brownfield land is automatically suitable for development. The document refers to prioritising brownfield land, but it needs to be recognised that some brownfield sites can have high ecological value.

Comment

Representation ID: 3024

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

Transition Wilmslow believes that economic growth cannot be considered without considering the ecological and energy systems that sustain it. The concept of Sustainable Development may be pertinent for this section. As economic growth that relies on the depletion of finite natural resources is not beneficial for long-term Cheshire East economic and social health, priority should be given to business proposals that promote natural resources protection and restoration (e.g. water and land), renewable energy and infrastructure, circular economy, local employment. The plan should promote local, small and social enterprises, retrofit and workforce upskilling.

Comment

Representation ID: 3025

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

Since the 1973 Strategic Plan for the North West, growth has been directed towards the Mersey Belt. Established in 1984, the North Cheshire Green Belt remains essential for containing development, preventing towns from merging and preserving local character. Cheshire/Merseyside is also a Marmot Place, committed to tackling health inequalities by advancing environmental sustainability and health equity together. This requires agencies to plan growth, infrastructure and services jointly and strategically, rather than responding piecemeal to individual applications or considering issues in isolation.

Comment

Representation ID: 3027

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

We are very supportive of the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan and we understand that this is part of the development plan, rather than a supplementary plan. We would like to see this carried forward. The current local plan does not recognise the importance of peat deposits as carbon stores and potentially for carbon sequestration. Nor does the local plan recognise the importance of peatland landscapes with, in the lowlands, their characteristic ‘moss room’ configuration. We would like to see a supplementary plan for peatland landscapes, a Local Energy Strategy and a Local cycling and Walking Network Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

Comment

Representation ID: 3029

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

Transition Wilmslow welcomes the statement in this paragraph emphasising the need for environmental impact assessment before the adoption of plans. However, the group would like such assessments to be robust and meaningful, particularly in relation to climate, nature recovery, peatland, biodiversity and natural capital.

Comment

Representation ID: 3031

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

The Scoping document is very development focused. There is little mention of ‘landscape’ or the ‘countryside’. The countryside around urban areas in Cheshire East, and Wilmslow in particular, is what makes the area so attractive to the people who live here and also underpins the visitor economy. Although mentioned in para 5.101 the vision and scoping document should be extended to give greater weight to the conservation of these assets which are vital to quality of life, nature and the rural economy.
Priority matters include infrastructure, climate mitigation, nature recovery, healthy communities, sustainable travel, environmental capacity and measurable outcomes

Comment

Representation ID: 3032

Received: 28/08/2026

Respondent: Transition Wilmslow

A new Local Plan offers our borough an opportunity to shape a healthier, more resilient and sustainable community, rather than simply respond to centrally imposed development targets. Accommodating exceptional housing growth requires a radical, local approach to spatial planning, based on collaboration among agencies, groups and communities. Plans should address local needs holistically, responding to environmental, social, health and economic challenges while promoting climate mitigation and resilience, nature recovery and access, sustainable transport, green and blue infrastructure, and improved air quality. The social determinants of health provide a strong foundation for targeting and monitoring outcomes, while supporting our local economy.