Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 3776

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Alsager acknowledges the changes to national green belt policy, but this should be seen as a last resort. Much development has been driven by speculative construction company profits, and this issue is also relevant to brownfield development which should be encouraged despite its costs. Clearly, Developers will pressure the Council to build on green belt sites for reasons of costs and profitability but this should be resisted on environmental, ecological and biodiversity grounds. BNG should not be an obvious fudge., as in some recent cases.
Some of the recent proposed sites would breach both green belt and strategic green gap.

Comment

Representation ID: 3793

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

As Suggested above, Brownfield Development needs to be encouraged by Cheshire East Council. Developers always prefer to build on open, green spaces for reasons of cost and profit. This, however, is not the only factor that should drive housing policy and there could be more scope for town centre enhancement and regeneration. Alsager Town Council would support a coherent strategy to develop living accommodation within and around the Town Centre.

Comment

Representation ID: 3825

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Alsager Town Council would also welcome a positive and coherent policy on economic growth and enhancement of local employment opportunities. Community support, however, is sceptical about Local Plan delivery of tangible outcomes, given the example of the five empty warehouses, built in 2022/3, at the junction of Crewe Road/Radway Green. This does not provide confidence if something similar is proposed for the Linley Lane mixed use site.
Obviously, there is scope for the enhancement of the Radway Green site.
Regional economic growth must mean more than housing development and Alsager, for instance, would welcome investment in green and renewable energy.

Comment

Representation ID: 3832

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Alsager Town Council is aware of the Spatial Development Strategy and will await further evidence regarding how, if at all, this may impact on our community.

Comment

Representation ID: 3842

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Alsager Town Council welcomes the inclusion of the Supplementary Planning Documents, in particular on Ecology and Biodiversity, Sustainable Drainage Systems, and Environmental Protection, all of which should be accorded weight in planning decisions. There are also grounds for suggesting that a more systematic approach by the Council to Employer contributions would produce benefit for the communities affected.

Comment

Representation ID: 3843

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 3865

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

ATC welcomes the commitment to Strategic Environmental Assessment. This does need to inform planning decision-making. In practice, however, it seems to be regarded as a second-order issue. For instance, CWT designated Manor Farm as an area in which 'development should be avoided'; the application's ecology report was dated and superficial and BNG lacked credibility.
Strategically, White Moss is both ecologically rich and provides important connectivity with nearby RAMSAR and LWS sites and again was designated by CWT as an area in which development should be avoided in the interest of conservation. The Local Plan needs to implement 'robust assessment'.

Comment

Representation ID: 3868

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 3869

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

Noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 3875

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Alsager Town Council

ATC reminds Cheshire East Council that it has a railway station that is important predominantly for regional destinations.