Consultation on 150 green belt homes
A DEVELOPER has launched a consultation on plans to build 150 homes in the green belt.
Robinsons Brewery owns an area of green belt off Chelford Road, opposite The Cock Inn, in Henbury, Macclesfield which is used for grazing cows.
It’s one of the sites which the council is releasing from the green belt for development in its Local Plan.
Robinsons has launched a public consultation on proposals to build 150 homes on the site. The main access will be from Chelford Road and there will also be access onto Whirley Road.
Residents were invited to a launch event for the consultation at St Thomas church hall in Henbury yesterday (Tuesday, July 18).
Many are concerned about the loss of green belt and the impact on wildlife.
Richard Slater lives with his wife Lynne and two children on Whirley Road next to the site. He is part of the Save Macclesfield Green Belt group which was launched to fight the release of the town’s green belt in the Local Plan.
Richard said: “There are so many people who are unhappy with this proposal to build on this land. It’s a beauty spot, a beautiful field for cattle to graze in.
“Henbury parish council with local schoolchildren planted 500 trees around three years ago and these will have to be dug up. We don’t need this many new homes, there aren’t enough jobs locally and the roads won’t cope.
“It’s a sad loss of a beautiful green space in Macclesfield.”
The site is included in Cheshire East’s Local Plan which has now received backing from a government planning inspector. He has concluded his examination of the plan and issued his final report which states that subject to some modifications the plan is legally sound.
Cabinet members are expected to approve that the plan is adopted when they meet on Wednesday, July 26. Mr Slater said: “There were thousands of objections to this land being built on in the Local Plan. There are brownfield sites which should be built on first.”
Consultation documents by Robinsons state the plans would provide affordable housing for local people, boost spending in the local economy and include new play facilities and landscaping.
Details of the plans are on the howplanning.com website where residents can submit feedback.
Robinsons did not respond to a request for a comment.