LOCAL RESIDENT GROUPS JOIN FORCES TO PROTECT GREEN BELT

Residents Of Wilmslow (RoW) have joined forces with other local action groups in an attempt to protect the green belt across East Cheshire.

RoW was formed by bringing together all the individual residents groups which were set up around Wilmslow to galvanise local opinion during the Wilmslow Vision consultation.

They met with Hands Off Our Sandbach and Protect Stapeley on Monday, 15th October, to share their concern over “large scale, profit driven, speculative and exploitative development proposals being submitted by opportunistic developers which our communities consider are not in the best interests of residents”.

The three groups have combined to form a new action group called `Residents United to Protect East Cheshire`. Their intention is to pool resources and enter into a constructive dialogue with all parties to bring about a more orderly, planned and structured process for stimulating economic growth.
Ian Knowlson of Residents United to Protect East Cheshire commented “Following Local Government reorganisation which created Cheshire East Council as a Unitary Authority, unscrupulous developers have been using what they see as a window of opportunity to submit proposals for large scale and inappropriate housing and retail developments whilst the Cheshire East Local plan is being formulated.

“Central government seem to have overlooked the fact that new local authorities need time to set up their local plans which could not be done by the outgoing Councils in Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe & Nantwich. This lack of protection means planning inspectors are overturning planning refusals by Cheshire East Council on the grounds that the new Local Plan is not yet finalised.”

David Lewis on behalf of Residents of Wilmslow added “It is to be hoped that the Government will intervene to stop inspectors overturning sound planning refusals by Cheshire East. After all the Government was responsible for Local Government Reorganisation which has rendered Cheshire East vulnerable to opportunistic developers and put our greenbelt at risk until a new local plan is completed and approved by Government.
“It is to be hoped that as many residents as possible will lobby their MP and also Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and ask them to uphold the commitment the coalition government has made to protect greenbelt by closing this loophole.”

Residents United to Protect East Cheshire are calling on the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, to suspend all developments for two years to allow the communities time to consult with town councils, Cheshire East and other stakeholders to formulate a properly considered Local Plan which takes account of all the issues.

They are inviting residents to join them in writing to our MPs and Eric Pickles at eric.pickles@communities.gsi.gov.uk to request this suspension.

Email Manual Golding emmgolding@gmail.com or David Lewis davidlewis@dsl.pipex.com of Residents Of Wilmslow for further information.