Standing room only as residents have say
RESIDENTS packed a public meeting to have their say on the town regeneration.
It was standing room only when more than 150 people attended a meeting at Macclesfield Town Hall to hear presentations and take part in debate on a five year vision to redevelop the town centre.
Cheshire East council is consulting on a draft for this vision, ‘There’s no place like Macclesfield’, which includes key developments such as the new cinema scheme by Ask Real Estate on Churchill Way and the expansion of the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. It also plans to overhaul other parts of town and focus on heritage.
The public consultation has been extended to December 6, after requests from the public.
The public meeting was hosted by Make it Macclesfield (MiM), a community interest company which aims to raise the profile of the town, to give people a chance to debate the issues and learn more about the consultation.
Audience members asked why there were no council officers there to speak, and Rhiannon Raftery from MiM said they were invited but declined.
Coun Liz Durham said the Cheshire East councillors were in the audience. There was lively discussion, with many expressing frustration at the need to attract young people and stating it was time for action, after the collapse of long-awaited £90m Silk Street scheme in 2015.
Mike Rance, MiM chairman, said: “We’re all agreed Macclesfield is a great place to live but there’s a lot of untapped potential. We’ve been talking about this for as long as I’ve been here and now is the time to make it happen.”
MP David Rutley said: “I’ve been frustrated and disappointed at the lack of engagement recently and I’m pleased to see we’re moving forward, bringing together groups in town. Now’s the time to get on with this.”
Mr Rutley said a £1.4m investment in improving the ‘public realm’ of Macclesfield town centre was not enough and that he would lobby for closer to £5m. Professor Cathy Parker, Macclesfield resident and chairman of Institute of Place Management, chaired the meeting. The other speakers were Margaret Goddard from Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, Ray Clarke from Macclesfield for Business, John Hartshorn from Macclesfield Heritage, Culture and Arts Forum, Jeff Coghlan who founded digital gaming firm Matmi, Keith Smith from Macclesfield Civic Society and Rachel Kay from Macclesfield College.