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 highfrequency 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 RisksThe 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.