Councils' Chaos at Churchill Road Recreation Ground
- 4 hours ago
- 9 min read
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.Â
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