Local plan scoping consultation

Dear Strategic Planning Team,

I am writing to formally submit my response to the current Cheshire East Local Plan Scoping Consultation. While I acknowledge the council is seeking feedback on high-level procedural themes, I am using this exercise to strongly object to the ongoing inclusion of the giant land submissions in and around Adlington (including those put forward by developers such as Belport Adlington Ltd) within the council’s active Call for Sites registry.

The council’s upcoming Site Selection Methodology must include strict, objective screening criteria that automatically disqualify the Adlington proposals at the earliest stage based on the following critical planning constraints:

1. Invalidation of Green Belt Purposes (NPPF Chapter 13)

The vast scale of the Adlington land submission fundamentally violates the core tenets of national Green Belt policy. If allocated, this development would cause severe "conurbation creep," permanently destroying the open rural gap that separates Macclesfield from Poynton and the wider Greater Manchester boundary. It fails entirely to safeguard the countryside from encroachment and would irrevocably swallow the distinct village identity of Adlington. The Local Plan's assessment rules must automatically filter out mega-sites that result in such severe, irreversible urban sprawl.

2. Protection of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Agricultural Land

Over 85% of the proposed Adlington tract comprises active, highly productive agricultural land and established forestry. National planning frameworks dictate that councils must protect BMV land to secure food production and ecological resilience. In light of the climate emergency, the new Local Plan must enforce a strict "Brownfield-First" hierarchy. Greenfield locations of this scale and agricultural value should be screened out before any release of Green Belt is even contemplated.

3. Critical Infrastructure Deficit and Car Dependency

The Adlington site is entirely unsuited for sustainable development. The local road network is already under severe pressure; introducing thousands of additional residential units would cause systemic traffic congestion on key transport corridors and compromise local road safety. Furthermore, while the site features a railway station, this sits on a heavily constrained Manchester-to-London main line where adding the necessary high-frequency commuter services is operationally unviable. Consequently, any development here would be entirely car-dependent, directly undermining Cheshire East Council's statutory carbon-reduction targets.

4. Subsurface Stability, Legacy Mining, and Flooding Risks

The geography of Adlington presents severe physical constraints. The area is historically characterized by shallow coal mining seams, unmapped shafts, and a high water table. Developing this terrain carries significant environmental and structural risks, including surface water flooding and ground instability. The astronomical engineering costs required to remediate these legacy issues mean the site cannot realistically deliver a viable, sustainable, or safe community.

Conclusion & Action Required

he Adlington submission represents predatory greenfield exploitation rather than strategic, infrastructure-led growth. I urge the council to implement a "Critical Constraints Gate" in its site selection methodology to automatically disqualify entries that require massive Green Belt deletion, destroy BMV agricultural land, and lack viable public transport infrastructure.

Please ensure my objections are fully registered against the Scoping Consultation evidence base and that I am kept informed of all future stages of the Local Plan review.