Campaigners welcome delay in plans for school

CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed a delay on three major planning applications in the town.

The King’s School wants to merge its sites at Fence Avenue and Cumberland Street into a new school on 70 acres of green belt next to its Derby Playing Fields in Prestbury.

To pay for the new school, it has plans for 300 homes at Fence Avenue and 150 homes at Cumberland Street, on the Westminster Road playing fields which form part of the campus.

The applications were due to be heard by the Strategic Planning Board in March, but were removed from the agenda and have been left off the agenda tomorrow (April 20).

Eileen Furr, who lives on Fence Avenue, opposes the housing scheme.

She said: “We are fighting the threat to the Green belt at Fence Avenue on two fronts. The deadline for comments on the Local Plan was Tuesday, and the deadline for comments on the King’s School Application is Friday, April 22. Our view is that the Application should not be considered, let alone approved, until the Local Plan is finally signed off by the Independent Inspector.

“The suspension of the Local Plan by the Inspector occurred at the very beginning of the process before any of the Strategic Sites could be considered.

“It would therefore be wrong to approve this application before we have put our case to the Inspector.”

A Cheshire East spokesman said the agenda for the Strategic Planning Meeting will not be made available until about 10 days prior.

Dr Simon Hyde, headteacher, has previously stated the school brings economic benefits to Macclesfield and the plans are the only option for keeping it in Macclesfield.