Public urged to voice views on green belt changes plan
BOLLINGTON residents are being urged to speak out as Cheshire East Council considers plans to take three sites out of the green belt.
A six-week consultation is due to begin on August 19 for the latest draft of the second part of the council’s local plan - formally known as the Site Allocations and Development Policies Document (SADPD).
The key planning document - which sets out new
policies for up to the year 2030 - includes plans to build around 40 homes on green belt land at Henshall Road.
A further nine homes could be built around Oak Lane and Greenfield Road, while around six new homes could be built on land at Jackson Lane.
But Councillor James Nicholas, from the Bollington First group, told a cabinet meeting that many residents feel the town has already welcomed its fair share of new housing and do not want to see green belt land taken away.
He said: “Residents of Bollington have always accepted that an increase in housing numbers is required, but have always strongly rejected the need to build on green belt, where any future sites in Bollington will likely be.
“Residents feel that the near-350 units - which is the equivalent of a 10 per cent increase in housing - which has already been approved or built in Bollington is a sufficient number.
“There are also 72 additional houses, which had been built within the Bollington boundary, but which had been added to the Macclesfield totals.
“I am sure that residents will make their views clearly known during the consultation period - and I certainly will be encouraging them to do so.”
Ken Edwards, representing the Bollington Civic Society, added that the SADPD is ‘fundamentally flawed’ and urged the cabinet to reconsider the document’s draft polices for the town.
While approving the document for the next round of consultation, cabinet members urged residents to have their say.
Bollington First’s Coun Amanda Stott, cabinet member for finance, ICT and communications, added: “Comments on Facebook don’t make a difference.
“If people genuinely, genuinely have concerns about their area they need to make their feelings known through the official channels.
“Members of the public are the ones that are going to be affected by this so they need to turn their frustrations away from Facebook and to send comments through the consultation.”
Following the consultation, the council cabinet will consider whether or not to amend the SADPD, and further consultation would then take place if it does.