Update: Churchill Road Recreation Ground
- 4 days ago
- 15 min read
Update 31.7.26
Even though the town council has delayed opening the Pump Track until SMDC investigates certain things, kids and adults are still making full use of it, having broken into the Harris fencing, and word has spread far and wide. There is, for youngsters and some adults too, something extra exciting about breaking the rules. It does mean, however, that the council has failed right at this early stage to keep our kids safe.
If it was what people wanted, this should have been an excellent facility for the town. Provided that rules around safety, environment, residents' rights, etc., were followed. Sadly they were not. Some might say this is development by stealth possibly for personal gain with elections coming up in May next year and a new Unitary Authority in '28.
Planning enforcement for this development is controlled by SMDC. While this is general practice across the country, if you're the one considering the quality of your own decisions/work, it is a bit like marking your own homework!
Planning enforcement for this development is controlled by SMDC. While this is general practice across the country, if you're the one considering the quality of your own decisions and work, it is a bit like marking your own homework at master's level. That might be okay if you are above that level in that particular field and get a colleague to verify your work, but that's not the case here.
SMDC doesn't have a great track record with planning, having lost control of large-scale developments recently when the Secretary of State found them to be inadequate. Churchill Road Rec does fall under small-scale development for the pump track, but if you consider that they are also planning to put in a roadway-sized path around the perimeter and the renewal of the playground, which they have closed over the summer holidays when families need it the most, the development is much bigger. Housing developers are not allowed to consider each house as an individual development, and neither are they.
On Friday, 31st of July, the SMDC planning office said that this development was within permitted development. They said:
"In response to your email regarding the pump track at the recreational ground at Churchill Road, Cheadle, I have completed a site visit and discussed this case with the Senior Planning Officer.
The works to create the pump track would be permitted development under Schedule 2, Part 12, Class A of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. Therefore, the works would not require planning permission."
Doesn't it? Here is the link to the legislation they feel covers their actions:
Class A in their findings refers to any small ancillary building, works, or equipment not exceeding 4 metres in height or 200 cubic metres in capacity. Whilst the height of the pump track is less than 4 metres, the cubic capacity is much larger. To get an accurate picture would mean calculating the peaks of the track, but even measured at a meagre 3 inches, this would still be 100 cubic metres over the rule they are using for their decision basis. This also doesn't account for the things they have missed off:
3-metre safety buffer
10-metre distance from housing to dispel noise and nuisance from track users
the 8-metre gap between the build and Cecilly Brook
Not forgetting the roadway which Cllr Upton promised the Town Council last month to run around the perimeter of the entire park, which will need to be placed in the 5 meters between the track and the residents' property boundaries and the 3.5 meters between the track and Cecilly Brook, and not considering that the developer had to make up the ground near the brook.
One resident, who was using the pump track, asked me why we are throwing hate at the pump track. We're really not; it is decades overdue that our kids have nice things—but we do want things that are safe to play on, our elderly residents to have peace in their homes, and our wildlife and nature preserved. We also want fair spending of the money provided by housing developers paid to the council to offset the extra pressure put on our town. This isn't going to help with traffic congestion, GP appointments, or a new primary school, is it? While this money should never be an either-or, this does detract from the bigger issues they are not even planning to solve.
Since publishing our article a few days ago, a few things have happened that we need to pass on to the public.
Where We Are Now 17th July 2026
The picture below was sent to us by a local resident along with some important evidence regarding the management of this project. As you can see, children are already using the track on a nightly basis even though the security fencing remains in place. The builders will have seen tyre tracks each day and have not taken sufficient measures to secure the site. We understand that someone has already been hurt, and we have been informed that the opening has been postponed for now.
More Residents Complain & the Meeting Transcript
Other residents have added their complaints to those made at the council meeting on the 6th of June. Our audio files are now available, so you can listen to the entire full council meeting below.
The Online Consultation Findings
We are able to share the online consultation findings, which show residents had concerns from the get-go, with most residents wanting better play equipment and maintenance. The pump track was eighth on their list. More popular than the pump track were safer seating, a running track and gym, maintaining the pitches and open spaces, toilets, and more bins—all of which have so far not been completed.
There are over 12 thousand residents of Cheadle, and only 136 completed the questionnaire. This means that the pump track was decided on by less than one percent of the population's views. Sizes of the development were not shared at the consultation nor were the actual plans present. Would those 58 people who voted for the track have still agreed if they knew the size, the location, and the safety risks? It is also worth noting that a few of the people who completed the questionnaire were children.
The data was skewed in the consultation from the start, with only the ideas the council wanted to pursue having specified questions. This way of presenting the questions gets people to think about something they may not otherwise have considered. If they had been asked for their thoughts on, say, a dog field, a community garden, a butterfly haven, a bird sanctuary, or a cafe, etc., would the pump track have been as popular? We can't know because they skewed the data in favour of the pump track. Discounting residents' stronger views could indicate that this was already decided before people were asked and may well be the reason they didn't hold any further consultations on the ground, in order to force through their own idea, which they knew at that point was not popular. It's also worth noting that those attending the public consultation in August last year were asked to complete the online questionnaire, and so the 136 people who completed the online questionnaire represent the entirety of the consultation, meaning those who came along have their views heard are included in the online figures.
What's the Cost?
What is the cost for this project? We've had serious concerns for some time about how project costs are reported. SMDC breaks the rules on section 106 agreement funds - this is the money developers pay over for infrastructure. Over 600 thousand pounds were paid from two developers towards Churchill Road, and we have yet to see any accountability for this money despite having issued freedom of information requests.
What we do know is that no tendering has taken place for this project, and according to Cheadle Town Council's current standing orders, anything over £30,000 must be put out to tender. Tendering is something that should be advertised in the local press. As the leading news provider for Cheadle, we can confirm we have never been approached to advertise this. We are also attendees of both full council meetings and many of the leisure and operations meetings where this project sits. Every time they have discussed it, they have placed it under confidential items and have asked us to leave.
About the Play Plan...
In 2022, SMDC set out an investment plan for the entire development of playgrounds across the moorlands. Item 6.4 says
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Here is the policy:
Effectively, SMDC's policy was that they would use the money designed to offset planning applications, which would fail due to lack of infrastructure, to fund the play facilities they are supposed to fund from their own finances. So if you are wondering why we are not looking at a bypass for increased traffic, more GPs, or other services, this gives some clarification.
You can find out more about section 106 agreements here:
Councillor Plant town and district councillor heavily involved in most developments here and paid locality ambassador for the district, when explaining what section 106 funds is to new town councillors says that section 106 funds are a "Play Pot" you can hear his explanation here:
Councillor Mills - the town mayor last year told town councillors that Churchill Road Rec didn't need golden slides and that all the developer money was not needed to be spent there despite the main provider of the funds Belway Homes stating that it did. This tape is available on request as it does contain other sensitive material. The article quoting Belway Homes can be found here:
On the 1st of December 2026 Town Councillors expressed their outrage at not being kept informed on developments across the town. "The District Council is running a closed shop with no information being shared with the town council and no consultation taking place either" You can read that article here.
13.7.26
On the 6th of June 2026, residents of the Churchill Road area in Cheadle turned out in force to the monthly Cheadle Town Council meeting, expressing their concerns and disappointment with the new pump track, which will take up the entire width of the park, leaving only the narrowest of access between the track and the protected Cecilly Brook as well as the residential properties. Here's what's happening.
Cllr Paulette Upton was asked by the new Mayor, Phil Routledge, to give answers to the public on behalf of the council in her role as chair of the Leisure & Operations Committee at the time of development. She told the residents that the development was a District Council project and that the Town Council was just in liaison with them.
Fact: Cllr Upton was both Mayor of Cheadle when this project commenced and Chair of the Leisure and Operations Committee in 2024-25. We have an email from the SMDC press office from the Regeneration Portfolio Holder at the district council from September 2025 confirming that the District Council's role was supporting Cheadle Town Council only, and we know that Cllr Upton's role and that of district and town Cllr Ian Plant is substantial on this project. We have this email because we had concerns at the time.
The Residents View
One resident, asked why there is a pump track being built 4 meters from their back gate? The first thing they knew about it was when a letter was pushed through their door the week before the building work commenced. They wanted to know who is responsible for it. "The grounds have been neglected for so long. Why is the pump track so close to the houses when you have the whole field?" they said.
Residents were concerned about dogs falling in the deep trenches of the pump track along with the close proximity to the path and the children's play area.
Another resident said this will create further harm, used and abused by teenage children. There is an 80-year-old woman who will be suffering from teenagers swearing and using the track. Another told the meeting that she and her child had already had to put up with a workman without a hard hat swearing in front of her while they was walking out with their dog.
A further resident said, "You just don’t get it." Also, there has never been a football team playing on the ground for 9-10 years, and they feel the pump track development will just cause trouble. It's in the wrong place! a resident commented. Residents love living on Churchill Road, and they feel this development will break their community.
The Consultation & the Plan
Cllr Upton said the decision was made via positive feedback from an online consultation and that she had a consultation on the 31st of August last year for 4 hours in Churchill Road Recreation ground.
Fact: The public consultation, which took place on the 31st of August 2025, was for two hours, not four, and consisted of a dingy gazebo and a few drawings, which Cllrs Plant, Upton, and Mills said were just ideas. While residents raised concerns regarding the size, safety, positioning, and relevance of the track in the online consultation. Additionally, councillors raised their concerns at the briefing prior to the 31st of August consultation.
Our editor Lori was so concerned about the quality of the consultation that she sent a copy of the official guidelines in advance of this consultation to ensure good practice could be followed to Cllr Upton & Plant prior to the event to ensure they were aware of the rules to obtain the best quality information. This was not responded to.
Following the consultation taking place, COGNEWS had serious concerns about coercion of residents and lack of publicity to ensure everyone had a fair opportunity to have their say. We also fed back concerns about the safety of residents, protection of wildlife, and the validity of having a pump track at all when changing rooms for sports were to be excluded because of cost at the time. This was also ignored.
Since then no updates or further consultation has happened except a rather odd activity a few weeks ago which we reported, and went along to. You can read the details here cheadlecog.com/post/work-due-to-start-on-churchill-road-recreation-ground. The gist is that the town council hosted a "Have your say" event on the 18th of June not at Churchill Road as you might expect and inviting residents but at Tean Road Rec. It is odd because the plans were well underway by this point, as was reported in the Leisure and Operations meeting the town council on the 16th of March when the committee was informed that work could start as early as the end of April.
What does the development consist of?
"There will be CCTV provided, but it will not be monitored. The gates of the park will be closed at 7 pm each evening to stop cars from parking in the grounds, but there will be a small gate for dog walkers." - Cllr Upton, Cheadle Town Council
To give you an idea of the scale of the pump track, it is 228 x 156 ft approximately or 33.04 percent of a hectare. A hectare would be classed as a large development, and as of the 15th of June, larger developments are overseen by the national planning inspectorate following SMCD's designation last month when the Secretary of State for Development removed them from the role of overseeing large developments, deeming their standard as inadequate.
The gap between residents' back fences and gates and the pump track is 5 meters, and by the brook, it is as narrow as 3.5 meters in parts. A track of this size should have a 3-meter safety buffer; it should have a 10-meter distance from housing to dispel noise and nuisance from track users. A development should also have an 8-meter gap between the build and a watercourse, in this case, Cecilly Brook.
Developers have extended part of the embankment by the brook with earth to give the illusion of a safe walk way and from our visit last week zealous riders might easily find themselves in the brook and badly injured. It is also close to the children's play area.
There appears to have been no consideration regarding the safety of residents who will be opening their gates straight onto oncoming walkers, runners and pump track spectators. We've not see a plan for a barrier or buffer zone to counter inevitable crashes.
A big concern is that Churchill Road recreation ground is a known area for all kinds of anti-social behaviour including drug deals due to the proximity of being able to disappear down any number of exists. The fact that they have not taken this seriously despite reports from residents over many years and the lack of security being put in place means this could quickly decline.
Cllr Upton said that there is to be a gate that you can get a dog through which means that you can get a bike, a skateboard, or a backpack of illegal drugs in. Additionally if it is dark and there is no working monitored CCTV, along with what appear to be deep trenches, this will leave a troubled spot for Cheadle as a hotspot for local crime unless measures are taken urgently. Tean Road Rec has been plagued with vandalism since its development, Cllrs Upton & Plant also lead that project, and has been the site of several reported criminal acts, which leaves some serious questions as to why lessons are not being learned.
Living so close to the large site could devalue the properties which previously enjoyed beautiful views, peaceful living, and enviable access to both the park and the nature reserve. What is really alarming is that despite the consultation taking place almost a year ago, there has been no feedback, no sharing of plans, and even the councillors themselves have been largely kept in the dark about the development.
What About the Planning Process?
A development of this size requires planning permission which would have allowed resident to have their say and understand what what happening. This was not sought and the park has now been reported to enforcement as an illegal development. We'll report on this as soon as we hear more.
Cllrs Upton and Plant were previously responsible for the development of Tean Road Recreation Ground where the small bowling pavilion cost over £225,000 to develop, created for and used by only a small minority of residents. It is unsuitable to use for a reasonable size groupto use and has not been utilized as an income stream. This could be classed as a misuse of public funds. Will Churchill Road be more successful? - the signs so far do not look good.
The planning process is designed to protect residents' rights and ensure everyone and everything (wildlife, trees, safety, drainage, etc.) is both considered and appropriate action taken. SMDC, as previously mentioned, has lost its control over large-scale developments recently - you can read about it in June's COG monthly or online. https://www.cheadlecog.com/post/smdc-planning-office-the-letter-that-changes-everything This development begs the question: did the designation go far enough?
What's Next?
Councillor Upton assured the meeting that there will be a wide footpath for walkers. This is going to be difficult to achieve because, according to UK building standards, footpaths have to be two meters minimum, and at some points, there is only a 3.5-meter gap between the edge of the pump track and the embankment to Cecilly Brook, where legally a minimum of 8 meters is required just for the watercourse.
On the issue of the track being too close to the houses, Cllr. Upton will be contacting the District Council for advice. She will get back to the residents regarding the regulations on such a structure. This has not prevented her from organising an open event for the 19th of July however.
When do you need planning permission for a pump track?
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990:
Permanent Surfaces: Tracks made of asphalt, concrete, or reinforced fibreglass.
Public Open Spaces: Community or council-led pump tracks in public parks or playing fields.
Significant Groundwork: Extensive digging, land grading, or drainage installations.
Associated Infrastructure: Adding permanent floodlighting, perimeter fencing, or hard-standing access paths.
Protected Areas: If the site is located in a protected zone like a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), or near a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
What is being created at Churchill Road Rec?
SMDC/Cheadle Town Council is putting in an asphalt track supported by an MOT base.
Using a public open space.
Reshaping the ground and using extensive earth-moving equipment to do so.
In an area which is directly adjacent to Cecilly Brook Nature Reserve with the water feeding into the nature reserve. On the park itself, there are wild orchids; we observed a common buzzard and other lovely birds at the entrance to the park.
We do not know if Cheadle Town Council & SMDC are putting in permanent lighting, which may mean another breach but is probably necessary for the users, or if the small access path will be linked to the planned perimeter footpath—this could also be another breach.
A Worrying Culture
Following the meeting, our reporter was accused by the leading district councillor involved in the project that "It's you who have caused this trouble," presumably meaning the residents coming along to the council meeting to air their grievances. This is not the first time the councillor involved has verbally attacked our reporter for carrying out his legal right and duty to report on a public meeting.
We would like to reassure ALL residents that it is their democratic right to attend any public meeting by either the Town or District Council and where appropriate have their say. Cllrs must also remember that it is public money that they are responsible for and have both a duty of office and a duty of care to the community they pledge to represent.
About Pump Tracks
A pump track is a continuous circuit of loops, rollers (rounded bumps), and berms (banked turns). Designed to be ridden without pedaling, riders generate momentum by shifting their body weight and "pumping" up and down through the track's dips and rises.
Well-designed, well-executed, and in the right place, with the support of the local community, they can be exciting and fun. They can help encourage visitors to an area, provide many hours of free fun for families and great exercise and skill building too.
Let's be clear: no one wishes to stop our youngsters from having fun, or wants our area not to have the most amazing things; we simply look for our leaders to follow the legal process, carry out proper consultation, and deliver the things best for our area.
Councils' Chaos at Churchill Road Recreation Ground - created 10th June 2026
