Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 2149

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

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: 2150

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

In the context of a deepening climate crisis, town centres need to play a central role in adaptation. The emphasis should be on getting genuinely low-carbon residential accommodation into the centres and making our towns into more liveable spaces. This means more well-designed tree planting and vegetation, carefully designed sustainable drainage systems with built-in water storage, homes that include workspace, active travel routes, many more useable outdoor spaces such as pocket parks, and effective vehicle management. Coupled with better public transport, these improvements will reduce the need to travel and provide better places to live, work, and relax.

Comment

Representation ID: 2151

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

Transport is essential in a functioning community. The current dependency on private transport is environmentally destructive and socially divisive. Instead of relying on the predict-and-provide model the new Local Plan should move towards demand management for gauging transport needs.
Demand management could include active travel corridors, bicycle storage facilities, better quality green spaces in housing development, higher quality public realm in 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and grossly diminishing natural capital, the traditional predict-and-provide method of calculating transport need is outdated and deeply damaging.

Comment

Representation ID: 2152

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

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 Natural Capital Assessment of all proposed development sites. HM 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: 2153

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

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: 2154

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

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 all proposed development sites, plus a realistic estimate of the scale and rate of climate change expected over the Plan period and beyond.

Comment

Representation ID: 2155

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

Carbon accounting should be a key determinant in assessing policies and strategic site selection. Almost all carbon accounting guidance in UK focuses 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: 2156

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

It is good to see acknowledgement of recreational facilities as key determinant of public and personal health.
The new Local Plan must include protection of Assets of Community Value (ACV), especially those comprising areas of land in the vicinity of disadvantaged communities. There should be a presumption of no development on these areas.
The new Local Plan should include a strong commitment to working with local community groups to bring ACVs into beneficial use.

Comment

Representation ID: 2157

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

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.

Comment

Representation ID: 2158

Received: 21/08/2026

Respondent: DANES MOSS TRUST

We are concerned that the consultation materials present significant barriers to meaningful public engagement. The online document extends to nearly 17,000 words (equivalent to approximately 48 printed pages) and incorporates multiple legislative references, frameworks, topic papers, and reports from earlier stages of the process. These materials are not always clearly explained, nor are they presented in a way that supports accessible navigation or understanding.
Given the volume, complexity, and formatting of the information provided, it is unrealistic to expect many respondents to locate, interpret, and assimilate the full range of technical content required to engage substantively with the consultation.