Road chaos fear over plans for 950 homes
APUBLIC meeting will be held to allay fears of traffic chaos at a major development of up to 950 houses, a primary school and a supermarket.
Proposals for a 63-hectare area of land off Congleton Road, known as the South Macclesfield Development Area (SMDA), are inching towards a point where work can start.
Outline planning permission for the site was secured 18 months ago but with the condition that no development can begin until all ‘land acquisition and legal matters’ are resolved.
It is to avoid piecemeal development and to that end another planning application – concerning public rights of way at the site – has now been approved.
But in the meantime the sheer scale of the plans, from Engine of the North, an arm’s-length company of Cheshire East Council, have caused traffic concerns for people in the area. There are proposals for a roundabout near Macclesfield Town’s Moss Rose ground, which residents also want more information about.
Councillor Laura Jeuda, member for Macclesfield South, has organised the public meeting and it takes place at St Barnabas Church, Lyme Avenue, on Tuesday, February 19, from 7pm.
She said: “Engine of the North has agreed to speak to some of the residents. People are con- cerned about the proposed roundabout outside the football club.
“It is going to bring a lot of traffic and we don’t know a lot about it, it is all quite vague. That’s why we have organised a meeting, Engine of the North can explain and people can ask questions, hopefully any concerns can be allayed.”
Coun Jeuda will chair the meeting and leaflet residents in the area to tell them about it.
Also in the development will be a link road between Congleton Road and London Road, which is seen as a much needed route.
New sports pitches have also been proposed and Engine of the North has described the development as a ‘sustainable 400,000 passengers using the supported bus services across Cheshire East between April and September 2018.
“Costs per passenger have also reduced from £2.89 in 2017-18 to £2.06 in 2018-19, ensuring better value for money community within quality environment’.
A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “It was resolved to approve in 2017 but with conditions that development cannot go ahead until all land acquisitions and legal matters resolved. This was to avoid “inappropriate piecemeal development.” a for the council tax payer.”
The draft budget is due to be revised before being brought to councillors on February 21 for sign-off, with changes to be made following last autumn’s consultation.