Bayleaf development approved – and local democracy goes out the window

When John (now Lord) Prescott took the decision to force unitary authority status on Macclesfield Borough Council and others I wonder if he had any idea of the problems that would ensue for residents of the affected towns.

Then again, as Macclesfield consistently came up blue on the electoral map, no matter what colour changes went on across the country, maybe that was his intention all along.

There have always been controversial planning issues in the town but The Bayleaf development in Bollington highlights just how out of touch Cheshire East planners are.

In their wisdom, planning officers recommended approval, and the planning committee followed their advice and approved the plans to demolish The Bayleaf (the old Wagon and Horses pub) and construct a supermarket on the ground floor with a restaurant upstairs.

The Bayleaf sits on a very busy junction. Check out the volume of traffic in this snapshot in time – particularly the heavy goods vehicle entering  Grimshaw Lane. Click on image to enlarge. Images Google maps.

Unsurprisingly the decision has really upset the hundreds of members of the community – and Bollington Town Council – who fought the application on the grounds of safety – owing to increased traffic, parking and poor visibility.

Several public meetings were held by Bollington Town Council where residents vented their anger at the proposals.

Bollington Town Councillor, Angela Williams, called the decision a ‘flagrant disregard to the wishes of Bollington people’.

She went on: “Despite Bollington Town Council repeatedly recommending refusal, Cheshire East councillors have voted seven to five in favour of allowing this project. This goes against many traffic and safety concerns at this very busy junction. Parking will be a farce as there are very limited spaces. There is already a busy pizza takeaway next door without any parking and a busy bus stop directly across the busy main road through Bollington. I dread to think what the first incident will be and hope it will not be a loss of life. Bollington town councillors have taken considerable time and effort with this application and listened to local opinion.”

“We know their town and its people and make decisions in their best interests.”

Local democracy was questioned on many occasions when Macclesfield Borough Council ran the town, when Cheshire East came along – it went out of the window.