Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 1459

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

The new Plan risks repeating the mistakes of the past.
We have had two extraordinarily hot, dry summers in succession - 2025 was the hottest summer on record in UK. The media describes this as the new normal, but it is most stable our climate and weather will be for the foreseeable future.
Nature is in steep, sustained decline. Pollinators, on which much of agriculture depends are in severe decline while pest controlling predators have drastically declined due to habitat loss and climate change.
These are existential changes: plans for growth should reflect the carrying capacity of the natural environment.

Comment

Representation ID: 1460

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Submitted sites that damage or destroy critical natural features must be rejected. These include all development on:
• Peatland
• Ancient woodland
• Unimproved grassland

Comment

Representation ID: 1462

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Development should also be excluded on sites supporting wet woodland habitat.

Comment

Representation ID: 1463

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Brownfield sites that have been unused for any length of time frequently have a high ecological value. All proposals for development on brownfield areas must be assessed for habitat and species status and rejected.

Comment

Representation ID: 1467

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Transport is essential for functioning community. Over-reliance on private motor transport is, however, environmentally destructive and socially divisive. Instead of relying on a predict-and-provide model the new Plan should move towards a demand management model for gauging transport needs.
Demand management could include active travel corridors, bicycle storage facilities, better quality green spaces built into housing development, higher quality public realm in our towns and villages, better public transport, and homes with remote working facilities. In a world of finite resources, disintegrating climate, and grossly diminishing natural capital, the predict-and-provide approach to transport need is outdated and deeply damaging.

Comment

Representation ID: 1472

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Nature should be the major determinant in the scale, location, and type of development throughout Cheshire East. It should not be seen as an acceptable sacrifice in the pursuit of growth/employment. A sacrificed irreplaceable habitat is lost for ever.
The Local Plan preparation process must include a Natural Capital Assessment. The Treasury provides a rationale and datasets for this, and other resources are readily available.
A natural capital assessment would enable each development proposal to be fully evaluated. Where natural capital losses are significant, the site should be excluded from the Local Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 1473

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Active travel corridors are an essential tool in managing demand for transport infrastructure. They should be seen as opportunities for establishing linear green spaces and connecting habitats rather than merely a means of getting from A to B, providing genuinely green, safe, and inspirational low carbon travel routes.

Comment

Representation ID: 1474

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

This is a grossly complacent approach to climate change. Heatwaves, droughts, and catastrophic flooding are not the new normal: they are the mildest, least volatile conditions we are likely to experience for generations into the far distant future.
The interventions listed are essential, but the quantum of development needs to be within the carrying capacity of the environment and supporting infrastructure. The Local Plan database must include a comprehensive natural capital assessment of Cheshire East as a whole, plus a realistic estimate of the scale and rate of climate change expected over the Plan period and beyond.

Comment

Representation ID: 1476

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

Carbon accounting should be a key determinant in assessing projects, policies and strategic site selection. Almost all carbon accounting policies and guidance in UK focus on emissions and sequestration. Storage is, however, almost universally ignored. Cheshire East contains many peatlands and bogs which, on an area basis, store over three times as much carbon as woodland. They are the primary means of sequestering and storing (in perpetuity) carbon and should NEVER be developed or damaged. The new Local Plan must not contain any strategic sites comprised of peatland, or buffer areas where peat-favourable hydrology may be damaged.

Comment

Representation ID: 1477

Received: 13/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Gordon Richardson

There is an enormous well of professional, academic, technical, and pragmatic knowledge held within Cheshire East’s population. Many groups and individuals are dynamically motivated to make our part of the world more resilient, beautiful, and diverse. The Council should harness this priceless asset by engaging with communities as a partner, using effective collaborative techniques.