Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 2522

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

This is a key element. Ecological sustainability appraisal must become the overarching determinant against any development approval. Ecology involves all aspects of our existence. This must therefore make reference to local residents from people to bats newts and badgers!!

Comment

Representation ID: 2523

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

Supplementary plans should be locality tested. By that I mean priorities are changed for different sites and areas. With climate change evident water source management policies should be to the fore in some areas. Reliance on Water Companies to meet new demand without evidence from them showing additional storage and treatment facilities being created should be a major limiting factor for any proposed development.

Comment

Representation ID: 2524

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

Fully agree. With greater numbers working from home, office complexes are becoming vacant. They should therefore be targeted for new development opportunity to meet the needs of the tech revolution we are in. Future CEC planning and charging should look to financially target vacant brownfield sites unless they are redeveloped for apartment dwellings or new industrial concerns.

Comment

Representation ID: 2525

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

Within post industrial towns, such as Macclesfield, there are many old mills and warehouses. It is these that should be identified for housing, utilising obvious brownfield sites creating affordable homes for those with below average wages.

Comment

Representation ID: 2526

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

In attempting to justify grey belt within a rural landscape development effectively removes agricultural land from the long term growth figures in the economy.
The well connected railway link, suggests this enhances travel to places of work. With technological advancement of AI, and greater opportunities for home working, proximity to a rail link should be a strong determining factor. ONS statistics for Chelford regards to rail usage and working practices clearly show that agricultural demand requires higher priority for economic growth..

Comment

Representation ID: 2527

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

2024 pressures on housing stock have been explicitly to create “Affordable Housing” that is defined in bullet two in para. 3.4. For this to be achieved CEC should be looking to create “social housing stock”, not developer led estate development.
Tarmac and concrete limit water supply due to high evaporation rates. Open field agriculture enables greater throughflow into the natural water courses. Estate building therefore runs counter to climate change goals. Brownfield sites have already affected natural water courses thereby offering better sites for green sustainability.

Comment

Representation ID: 2528

Received: 25/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Clive Howlett

“Call for sites” was not about suitable land available for future development. In the area around Chelford it has resulted in the potential to remove good agricultural land stock and green belt.
Chelford has had two new successful developments on what might be described as brown field. Surely this is what call for sites was really about, not to increase personal wealth of landowners.
Para 2.9 has the consultation process the wrong way around. CEC should engage with localities first before plan creation.