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.