Local plan scoping consultation

Dear council,

I am writing to express my deep concerns about your new local plan.

I ask that you as a council - acting on my and my neighbours' behalfs - reflect sincerely and honestly on the recent unprecedented weather events and the very real risks they pose to the communities and environment you are responsible for protecting with your new local plan.

As a Cheshire East resident, I'm truly scared about the future of our local area - we are facing increased fire risk, draught, and subsequent elevated flood risk.

Taking stock of the trend of extreme weather patterns is an opportunity for you as a council to take bold, creative steps with the local plan. Green belt and greenfield sites must be recentred as critical to the health, wellbeing, stability and resilience of our local area and communities.

Where new housing is needed, please make brownfield site the priority. This is an approach already in place with other councils across the country. You have 173 sites on your brownfield land register. This will aid in mitigating fire and flood risk, preventing the negative visual impact of damaging our beautiful green belt and green field, and it will improve already urbanised areas that have fallen into disuse or become unsafe. These areas are already integrated into an existing community with amenities (schools, hospitals, shops) available and pose an opportunity to address both the housing and environmental crises.

We are at a crossroads where we must ask what the long-term impacts will be for our communities. In removing green belt and green field sites, we are designating that area of land to development exclusively- science is explicit about our need to work alongside nature to improve our own resilience. I want to see these nature-focused and scientifically backed solutions to the environmental and housing crises in the local plan.

I truly want to be able to say that you as a council are using your local plan to creatively safeguard myself and my community. But so far, I see plans that solve certain issues in the short-term and ignore the long-term damage they leave.

Kind regards,
Helen Eccles-Jones

Macclesfield resident
[REDACTED]

Dear council,

I am writing to express my deep concerns about your new local plan.

I ask that you as a council - acting on my and my neighbours' behalfs - reflect sincerely and honestly on the recent unprecedented weather events and the very real risks they pose to the communities and environment you are responsible for protecting with your new local plan.

As a Cheshire East resident, I'm truly scared about the future of our local area - we are facing increased fire risk, draught, and subsequent elevated flood risk.

Taking stock of the trend of extreme weather patterns is an opportunity for you as a council to take bold, creative steps with the local plan. Green belt and greenfield sites must be recentred as critical to the health, wellbeing, stability and resilience of our local area and communities.

Where new housing is needed, please make brownfield site the priority. This is an approach already in place with other councils across the country. You have 173 sites on your brownfield land register. This will aid in mitigating fire and flood risk, preventing the negative visual impact of damaging our beautiful green belt and green field, and it will improve already urbanised areas that have fallen into disuse or become unsafe. These areas are already integrated into an existing community with amenities (schools, hospitals, shops) available and pose an opportunity to address both the housing and environmental crises.

We are at a crossroads where we must ask what the long-term impacts will be for our communities. In removing green belt and green field sites, we are designating that area of land to development exclusively- science is explicit about our need to work alongside nature to improve our own resilience. I want to see these nature-focused and scientifically backed solutions to the environmental and housing crises in the local plan.

I truly want to be able to say that you as a council are using your local plan to creatively safeguard myself and my community. But so far, I see plans that solve certain issues in the short-term and ignore the long-term damage they leave.

Kind regards,
Helen Eccles-Jones

Macclesfield resident
[REDACTED]

Dear council,

I am writing to express my deep concerns about your new local plan.

I ask that you as a council - acting on my and my neighbours' behalfs - reflect sincerely and honestly on the recent unprecedented weather events and the very real risks they pose to the communities and environment you are responsible for protecting with your new local plan.

As a Cheshire East resident, I'm truly scared about the future of our local area - we are facing increased fire risk, draught, and subsequent elevated flood risk.

Taking stock of the trend of extreme weather patterns is an opportunity for you as a council to take bold, creative steps with the local plan. Green belt and greenfield sites must be recentred as critical to the health, wellbeing, stability and resilience of our local area and communities.

Where new housing is needed, please make brownfield site the priority. This is an approach already in place with other councils across the country. You have 173 sites on your brownfield land register. This will aid in mitigating fire and flood risk, preventing the negative visual impact of damaging our beautiful green belt and green field, and it will improve already urbanised areas that have fallen into disuse or become unsafe. These areas are already integrated into an existing community with amenities (schools, hospitals, shops) available and pose an opportunity to address both the housing and environmental crises.

We are at a crossroads where we must ask what the long-term impacts will be for our communities. In removing green belt and green field sites, we are designating that area of land to development exclusively- science is explicit about our need to work alongside nature to improve our own resilience. I want to see these nature-focused and scientifically backed solutions to the environmental and housing crises in the local plan.

I truly want to be able to say that you as a council are using your local plan to creatively safeguard myself and my community. But so far, I see plans that solve certain issues in the short-term and ignore the long-term damage they leave.

Kind regards,
Helen Eccles-Jones

Macclesfield resident
[REDACTED]

Dear council,

I am writing to express my deep concerns about your new local plan.

I ask that you as a council - acting on my and my neighbours' behalfs - reflect sincerely and honestly on the recent unprecedented weather events and the very real risks they pose to the communities and environment you are responsible for protecting with your new local plan.

As a Cheshire East resident, I'm truly scared about the future of our local area - we are facing increased fire risk, draught, and subsequent elevated flood risk.

Taking stock of the trend of extreme weather patterns is an opportunity for you as a council to take bold, creative steps with the local plan. Green belt and greenfield sites must be recentred as critical to the health, wellbeing, stability and resilience of our local area and communities.

Where new housing is needed, please make brownfield site the priority. This is an approach already in place with other councils across the country. You have 173 sites on your brownfield land register. This will aid in mitigating fire and flood risk, preventing the negative visual impact of damaging our beautiful green belt and green field, and it will improve already urbanised areas that have fallen into disuse or become unsafe. These areas are already integrated into an existing community with amenities (schools, hospitals, shops) available and pose an opportunity to address both the housing and environmental crises.

We are at a crossroads where we must ask what the long-term impacts will be for our communities. In removing green belt and green field sites, we are designating that area of land to development exclusively- science is explicit about our need to work alongside nature to improve our own resilience. I want to see these nature-focused and scientifically backed solutions to the environmental and housing crises in the local plan.

I truly want to be able to say that you as a council are using your local plan to creatively safeguard myself and my community. But so far, I see plans that solve certain issues in the short-term and ignore the long-term damage they leave.

Kind regards,
Helen Eccles-Jones

Macclesfield resident
[REDACTED]