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Local plan scoping consultation
Identifying and assessing sites
Respondent: Gillian Smith
Representation Summary:
This response argues that Cheshire East’s new Local Plan should prioritise protecting the character and sustainability of rural communities, particularly Adlington. It calls for most development to be focused in larger urban areas with existing infrastructure, while safeguarding Green Belt land and adopting a brownfield-first approach. The submission highlights infrastructure shortcomings seen in Congleton and urges stricter requirements for transport, healthcare, education and road capacity before development proceeds. It also recommends detailed assessments of unsuitable rural lanes around Adlington, stronger flood risk and drainage policies, and greater engagement with residents through targeted workshops and community consultations during future plan-making stages.
Full text:
Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Response
To: Strategic Planning Team, Cheshire East Council (localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Regarding: New Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Focus Area: Spatial Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity, and Protection of Adlington
Please accept this formal submission as part of the scoping consultation process for the new Cheshire
East Local Plan into the 2040s. The points detailed below outline critical framework parameters and policy
scope requirements necessary to protect the sustainability of the borough's rural communities, with a
specific focus on the settlement of Adlington.
1. Vision and Spatial Strategy
The vision for the new Local Plan into the 2040s must explicitly protect the unique identity, landscape
character, and scale of Cheshire East's rural villages and semi-rural settlements, such as Adlington. The
spatial strategy's scope should direct the majority of new development toward existing major urban hubs
that already possess established supporting infrastructure. The plan must avoid a disproportionate
allocation of growth to smaller villages where development risks overwhelming rural environments.
2. Natural Environment and Green Belt
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
3. Infrastructure and Transport (Lessons from Congleton and Local Lane Capacity)
The infrastructure policy scoping rules must be significantly tightened to prevent a repeat of the recent
development failures witnessed in Congleton. In Congleton, thousands of houses were successfully built,
but the local infrastructure completely failed to keep pace. Developers repeatedly failed to deliver
promised community assets (such as the Astbury Place footbridge), and lack of infrastructure capacity left
local medical services, dental practices, and school networks overwhelmed.
To protect rural areas, the Local Plan must mandate detailed, localized highway capacity assessments for
rural networks. In Adlington, the key rural feeding lanes routing traffic onto the A523 are entirely unsuitable
for increased or heavy traffic volumes. These specific routes include:
• Street Lane
• Brookledge Lane
• Mill Lane
• Holehouse Lane (leading to the Windmill Inn)
These lanes are narrow, contain historic bridges, lack continuous safe footways, and feature severe blind
bends. The scoping framework must state that if local feeding lanes cannot safely handle construction or
residential traffic volumes, development allocations in that area must be legally blocked. Furthermore,
infrastructure upgrades must be contractually secured and fully built before any house construction is
allowed to commence.
4. Climate Change and Local Flooding
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems.
5. Future Engagement
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
Local plan scoping consultation
Respondent: Gillian Smith
Representation Summary:
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
Full text:
Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Response
To: Strategic Planning Team, Cheshire East Council (localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Regarding: New Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Focus Area: Spatial Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity, and Protection of Adlington
Please accept this formal submission as part of the scoping consultation process for the new Cheshire
East Local Plan into the 2040s. The points detailed below outline critical framework parameters and policy
scope requirements necessary to protect the sustainability of the borough's rural communities, with a
specific focus on the settlement of Adlington.
1. Vision and Spatial Strategy
The vision for the new Local Plan into the 2040s must explicitly protect the unique identity, landscape
character, and scale of Cheshire East's rural villages and semi-rural settlements, such as Adlington. The
spatial strategy's scope should direct the majority of new development toward existing major urban hubs
that already possess established supporting infrastructure. The plan must avoid a disproportionate
allocation of growth to smaller villages where development risks overwhelming rural environments.
2. Natural Environment and Green Belt
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
3. Infrastructure and Transport (Lessons from Congleton and Local Lane Capacity)
The infrastructure policy scoping rules must be significantly tightened to prevent a repeat of the recent
development failures witnessed in Congleton. In Congleton, thousands of houses were successfully built,
but the local infrastructure completely failed to keep pace. Developers repeatedly failed to deliver
promised community assets (such as the Astbury Place footbridge), and lack of infrastructure capacity left
local medical services, dental practices, and school networks overwhelmed.
To protect rural areas, the Local Plan must mandate detailed, localized highway capacity assessments for
rural networks. In Adlington, the key rural feeding lanes routing traffic onto the A523 are entirely unsuitable
for increased or heavy traffic volumes. These specific routes include:
• Street Lane
• Brookledge Lane
• Mill Lane
• Holehouse Lane (leading to the Windmill Inn)
These lanes are narrow, contain historic bridges, lack continuous safe footways, and feature severe blind
bends. The scoping framework must state that if local feeding lanes cannot safely handle construction or
residential traffic volumes, development allocations in that area must be legally blocked. Furthermore,
infrastructure upgrades must be contractually secured and fully built before any house construction is
allowed to commence.
4. Climate Change and Local Flooding
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems.
5. Future Engagement
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
Local plan scoping consultation
Transport and infrastructure
Respondent: Gillian Smith
Representation Summary:
This submission argues that infrastructure requirements in the Local Plan should be strengthened to avoid repeating problems experienced in Congleton, where housing development outpaced supporting services and facilities. It highlights failures to deliver promised infrastructure, resulting in pressure on healthcare, education, and transport networks. The response calls for detailed assessments of rural road capacity before development is allocated. Particular concern is raised about Street Lane, Brookledge Lane, Mill Lane and Holehouse Lane in Adlington, which are considered unsuitable for significant traffic increases. It recommends that developments be refused where access is inadequate and that all necessary infrastructure improvements are completed before construction begins.
Full text:
Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Response
To: Strategic Planning Team, Cheshire East Council (localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Regarding: New Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Focus Area: Spatial Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity, and Protection of Adlington
Please accept this formal submission as part of the scoping consultation process for the new Cheshire
East Local Plan into the 2040s. The points detailed below outline critical framework parameters and policy
scope requirements necessary to protect the sustainability of the borough's rural communities, with a
specific focus on the settlement of Adlington.
1. Vision and Spatial Strategy
The vision for the new Local Plan into the 2040s must explicitly protect the unique identity, landscape
character, and scale of Cheshire East's rural villages and semi-rural settlements, such as Adlington. The
spatial strategy's scope should direct the majority of new development toward existing major urban hubs
that already possess established supporting infrastructure. The plan must avoid a disproportionate
allocation of growth to smaller villages where development risks overwhelming rural environments.
2. Natural Environment and Green Belt
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
3. Infrastructure and Transport (Lessons from Congleton and Local Lane Capacity)
The infrastructure policy scoping rules must be significantly tightened to prevent a repeat of the recent
development failures witnessed in Congleton. In Congleton, thousands of houses were successfully built,
but the local infrastructure completely failed to keep pace. Developers repeatedly failed to deliver
promised community assets (such as the Astbury Place footbridge), and lack of infrastructure capacity left
local medical services, dental practices, and school networks overwhelmed.
To protect rural areas, the Local Plan must mandate detailed, localized highway capacity assessments for
rural networks. In Adlington, the key rural feeding lanes routing traffic onto the A523 are entirely unsuitable
for increased or heavy traffic volumes. These specific routes include:
• Street Lane
• Brookledge Lane
• Mill Lane
• Holehouse Lane (leading to the Windmill Inn)
These lanes are narrow, contain historic bridges, lack continuous safe footways, and feature severe blind
bends. The scoping framework must state that if local feeding lanes cannot safely handle construction or
residential traffic volumes, development allocations in that area must be legally blocked. Furthermore,
infrastructure upgrades must be contractually secured and fully built before any house construction is
allowed to commence.
4. Climate Change and Local Flooding
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems.
5. Future Engagement
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
Local plan scoping consultation
Climate Change Adaptation
Respondent: Gillian Smith
Representation Summary:
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems
Full text:
Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Response
To: Strategic Planning Team, Cheshire East Council (localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Regarding: New Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Focus Area: Spatial Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity, and Protection of Adlington
Please accept this formal submission as part of the scoping consultation process for the new Cheshire
East Local Plan into the 2040s. The points detailed below outline critical framework parameters and policy
scope requirements necessary to protect the sustainability of the borough's rural communities, with a
specific focus on the settlement of Adlington.
1. Vision and Spatial Strategy
The vision for the new Local Plan into the 2040s must explicitly protect the unique identity, landscape
character, and scale of Cheshire East's rural villages and semi-rural settlements, such as Adlington. The
spatial strategy's scope should direct the majority of new development toward existing major urban hubs
that already possess established supporting infrastructure. The plan must avoid a disproportionate
allocation of growth to smaller villages where development risks overwhelming rural environments.
2. Natural Environment and Green Belt
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
3. Infrastructure and Transport (Lessons from Congleton and Local Lane Capacity)
The infrastructure policy scoping rules must be significantly tightened to prevent a repeat of the recent
development failures witnessed in Congleton. In Congleton, thousands of houses were successfully built,
but the local infrastructure completely failed to keep pace. Developers repeatedly failed to deliver
promised community assets (such as the Astbury Place footbridge), and lack of infrastructure capacity left
local medical services, dental practices, and school networks overwhelmed.
To protect rural areas, the Local Plan must mandate detailed, localized highway capacity assessments for
rural networks. In Adlington, the key rural feeding lanes routing traffic onto the A523 are entirely unsuitable
for increased or heavy traffic volumes. These specific routes include:
• Street Lane
• Brookledge Lane
• Mill Lane
• Holehouse Lane (leading to the Windmill Inn)
These lanes are narrow, contain historic bridges, lack continuous safe footways, and feature severe blind
bends. The scoping framework must state that if local feeding lanes cannot safely handle construction or
residential traffic volumes, development allocations in that area must be legally blocked. Furthermore,
infrastructure upgrades must be contractually secured and fully built before any house construction is
allowed to commence.
4. Climate Change and Local Flooding
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems.
5. Future Engagement
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
Local plan scoping consultation
Respondent: Gillian Smith
Representation Summary:
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
Full text:
Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Response
To: Strategic Planning Team, Cheshire East Council (localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk)
Regarding: New Local Plan Scoping Consultation
Focus Area: Spatial Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity, and Protection of Adlington
Please accept this formal submission as part of the scoping consultation process for the new Cheshire
East Local Plan into the 2040s. The points detailed below outline critical framework parameters and policy
scope requirements necessary to protect the sustainability of the borough's rural communities, with a
specific focus on the settlement of Adlington.
1. Vision and Spatial Strategy
The vision for the new Local Plan into the 2040s must explicitly protect the unique identity, landscape
character, and scale of Cheshire East's rural villages and semi-rural settlements, such as Adlington. The
spatial strategy's scope should direct the majority of new development toward existing major urban hubs
that already possess established supporting infrastructure. The plan must avoid a disproportionate
allocation of growth to smaller villages where development risks overwhelming rural environments.
2. Natural Environment and Green Belt
The policy scope regarding the natural environment must include a strict presumption against deleting
land from the Green Belt. The scoping framework and its supporting evidence base should legally
mandate a 'brownfield-first' policy across the borough. All available urban and previously developed land
must be fully utilised before any greenfield or rural edge allocations are considered for inclusion in the
plan.
3. Infrastructure and Transport (Lessons from Congleton and Local Lane Capacity)
The infrastructure policy scoping rules must be significantly tightened to prevent a repeat of the recent
development failures witnessed in Congleton. In Congleton, thousands of houses were successfully built,
but the local infrastructure completely failed to keep pace. Developers repeatedly failed to deliver
promised community assets (such as the Astbury Place footbridge), and lack of infrastructure capacity left
local medical services, dental practices, and school networks overwhelmed.
To protect rural areas, the Local Plan must mandate detailed, localized highway capacity assessments for
rural networks. In Adlington, the key rural feeding lanes routing traffic onto the A523 are entirely unsuitable
for increased or heavy traffic volumes. These specific routes include:
• Street Lane
• Brookledge Lane
• Mill Lane
• Holehouse Lane (leading to the Windmill Inn)
These lanes are narrow, contain historic bridges, lack continuous safe footways, and feature severe blind
bends. The scoping framework must state that if local feeding lanes cannot safely handle construction or
residential traffic volumes, development allocations in that area must be legally blocked. Furthermore,
infrastructure upgrades must be contractually secured and fully built before any house construction is
allowed to commence.
4. Climate Change and Local Flooding
The climate change policy scope must introduce strict criteria regarding local hydrology, natural drainage,
and surface water flood risk. It is critical that the scoping framework accounts for the cumulative impact
that new hard surfaces have on rural drainage systems, agricultural land runoff, and vulnerable local
ecosystems.
5. Future Engagement
Regarding future consultation methods, the council should commit to specific, targeted community
assemblies or workshops within smaller rural parishes. This will provide local residents with a transparent,
structured mechanism to properly scrutinise draft spatial options and proposed site selections during the
2027 evidence consultation phase.
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