Local plan scoping consultation

Objection – Land East of Byron’s Lane and adjacent to Bullocks Lane, Macclesfield
I strongly object to the allocation of Land East of Byron’s Lane and adjacent to Bullocks Lane for housing for the following reasons:

Excessive housing growth:
Cheshire East has already experienced substantial housing development, historically above the national rate of growth. The Government's new housing methodology has increased the requirement even further, something Cheshire East Council itself has raised serious concerns about.

Green Belt and village identity:
This land provides an important green separation between Macclesfield and the villages of Sutton and Langley. Developing it would contribute to the merging of the settlements, fundamentally changing the character of the area and risking Sutton and Langley becoming suburbs of Macclesfield rather than remaining distinct villages.

Working farmland and sustainability:
This is productive farmland, not unused land. With climate change and increasing concerns about food security, we should be protecting agricultural land and our ability to produce food locally, not permanently building over it.
The land on Bullocks Lane is used for the annual National Sheep Dogs Trials, a great family event which helps to raise awareness of the value of our farming communities.

Wildlife and biodiversity:
The land supports considerable wildlife. Foxes, badgers, deer, bats and owls are regularly seen here and herons nest on the land. Development would permanently destroy and fragment established habitats.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) should be a driving force in the plan creation process, and protection should be given to all designated sites, including Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs). Habitat corridors connecting natural features should be protected and enhanced. It is of particular importance that there should be no development on irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodland and peatlands, and approporiate buffereing must be provided.

Peatlands:
As a result of the climate emergency, development on peatlands should be ruled out. Peatlands act as our rainforests when it comes to carbon storage and, on a comparable land area, our peatlands often store far more carbon than tropical rainforests. Natural England, adviser to the government for the natural environment in England, stated in their letter to CEC Planning of June 2022 that "Natural England do not support the principle of developing on peat and we advise you to consider its importance to the delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, ambitions around Net Zero and the Climate Emergency declared by Cheshire East Council. We think peat should be a key consideration when reviewing planning applications and considering thematic policies/site allocations in your Local Plan." This guidance should be observed and referenced in the new Local Plan strategy. There are peatlands around Macclesfield that will certainly be proposed for development - we expect CEC to refuse these submissions - and develop a policy that will future-proof Cheshire East against such proposals. We should learn from past errors, such as the allocation of 'Weaver Green', which has resulted in the extraction of very large volumes of peat.

Infrastructure and traffic:
The area has already absorbed considerable development. Further housing would increase pressure on local roads, particularly the constrained Byron’s Lane/London Road junction, as well as adding pressure on local schools, healthcare, drainage and potential for flooding.

Brownfield first:
Cheshire East's increased housing requirement should not be used to justify developing Green Belt and productive countryside. Brownfield and previously developed sites should be prioritised.

For these reasons, I strongly request that Land East of Byron’s Lane and adjacent to Bullocks Lane are removed from consideration for housing development.