Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 2728

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

With how important green space is for adults' and young people's physical and mental health, we should be protecting greenbelt, not selling it for developments.

Comment

Representation ID: 2729

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

In and around Poynton, flooding should be one of the major considerations. Removing greenbelt land and natural aquifers will only result in further flooding. Land to the East of Poynton acts as a huge soakaway for surface runoff coming down from the Cheshire/High Peak border.

Comment

Representation ID: 2730

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

I don't see how Poynton is included in tier 2, surely it is a tier 3 town.

Comment

Representation ID: 2731

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Greenbelt land should not be currently included considering the amount of brownfield sites in Cheshire east.

Comment

Representation ID: 2732

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

The closing down of many tips across Cheshire East has added significant burden to the remaining tips.

Comment

Representation ID: 2733

Received: 26/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Significant improvements in local infrastructure would be needed if further housing sites are developed in and around Poynton.

Comment

Representation ID: 3188

Received: 29/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Releasing Site 4376 from the Green Belt within the Cheshire East Local Plan fails to meet the statutory requirement for exceptional circumstances set out in NPPF Paragraph 143. The site performs essential GreenBelt functions by checking urban sprawl, maintaining settlement identity, and safeguarding open countryside towards the Peak District Fringe. Allocating this high-performing greenfield parcel conflicts with the sequential test requiring brownfield and underutilised urban land prioritisation. Additionally, development would alter localised hydrological catchments, exacerbate surface water runoff over known shallow coal mining geology, and overload narrow, capacity-constrained local road infrastructure. Site 4376 is unviable and unsuitable for future allocation.

Comment

Representation ID: 3189

Received: 29/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Directing housing allocations to peripheral sites in Poynton based primarily on its classification within the settlement hierarchy is fundamentally flawed. Spatial distribution policies must be capacity-led rather than hierarchy-driven. Settlement hierarchy status reflects baseline services, not physical carrying capacity. Eastern Poynton faces critical spatial constraints, including shallow coal mining geology, sensitive hydrological catchments, and narrow, capacity-constrained local road infrastructure. Using settlement tier status to override statutory Green Belt protections and localised physical limits fails the NPPF test for sound, sustainable planning. Where physical constraints and high-performing Green Belt coincide, spatial housing targets must be redistributed to less constrained corridors.

Comment

Representation ID: 3190

Received: 29/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Site 4376 performs a vital Strategic Green Gap function, maintaining spatial separation between Poynton and surrounding settlements towards the Peak District Fringe. National planning policy and local spatial objectives require Strategic Green Gaps to prevent coalescence and preserve individual settlement identity. Removing this parcel from the Green Belt directly reduces the physical buffer separating distinct communities, eroding the rural gap that defines Poynton’s eastern edge. Highlighting settlement hierarchy targets cannot justify breaching established Green Gaps. Development on Site 4376 would permanently narrow this essential landscape buffer, setting a harmful precedent for incremental coalescence.

Comment

Representation ID: 3191

Received: 29/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Owain Davies

Allocating Site 4376 for residential development conflicts directly with national and local planning policies restricting unsustainable housing in the countryside. The National Planning Policy Framework strictly requires local authorities to recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside and resist sporadic, encroaching development beyond established settlement boundaries. Site 4376 comprises active agricultural land in open countryside. Developing this site introduces irreversible urban encroachment, erodes the rural landscape setting of eastern Poynton, and promotes car-dependent development detached from primary transport nodes. Housing delivery must be directed to brownfield land within urban limits, not open countryside.