From Town Council Reporter - Alan Thomas, Editor - Lori Wood Williams & COG Chair - Bernie Charlesworth
On Monday 2nd September, Cheadle Town Council heard a vital report from District Councillor James Aberley, regarding the impact that changes to the national planning regulations will mean for Cheadle.
The government intends to reduce bureaucracy and make it simpler to process planning applications. 2000 more houses could be coming to the Moorlands as a result. Council planning committees have long had restrictions on developing in key locations, be it Green Belt, sites and areas of outstanding natural beauty, listed building or conservation areas, this will all change following a consultation period. It is being proposed to enable re-designate of Green Belt as Grey, a new term from the government meaning low grade farm and commercial land that can be used for development. This enables more houses to be build.
The Staffordshire Moorlands stretches from Biddulph in the north to Checkley in the south, it borders Stoke on Trent to the West and High Peak to the East. High peak is essentially in the Peak National Park and has its own set of rules when it comes to developing, which are unlikely to change substantially. To the west is Stoke on Trent and like most cities it has always been the intention to have buffers between cities and rural areas to prevent urban sprawl, to that end a large area of the Moorlands is covered by a Green Belt buffer.
This leaves the central belt of the Moorlands, stretching from east of Biddulph through,Cheddleton, Wetley Rocks, Ipstones, Kingsley and Kingsley Holt, Oakamoor, Cheadle, Alton and Checkley. This swath of land will be primarily areas where if restrictions are lifted, would give developers unprecedented opportunity to develop our countryside for new homes.
Our experience in Cheadle is that no infrastructure has been put in place to support the 5 large scale building developments - recently completed or still underway. There is no intent as far as we have seen for local or national government to put in place the infrastructure needed for communities to thrive. This doesn't look likely to improve with the new proposal. These missing items include adequate roads, sewerage, doctors, dentists, nurseries and schools. All these things have significant impact on ALL residents not just the newcomers to the town. There has also been disproportionate amount of development in the Cheadle area in comparison to the other Moorland Towns - Leek and Biddulph.
Many questions occur to us, including:
Will consideration be given to Cheadle's building program when the numbers are calculated as to what will be built where.Will our wildlife and sustainable building needs to meet & our net-zero by 2030 be supported?
Will we end 5 days of roadworks, with three way traffic lights, to allow one single new house to receive its water supply? This happened last week on Churchill Road.
Will there be any variety in types of building? The government's plan is to build some social housing, but with no consideration as to the type. - We urgently need bungalows and smaller properties, not the types the developers seem to favour here.
What is clear is that Cheadle Town Council, residents, community groups and businesses must now work together as a community to ensure our voices are heard and our town protected, not just for existing residents but for future generations, and our many visitors who come here for the rural experience. Will the gateway to the Churnet Valley require safety shoes and a hard hat to visit?
We've had enough and we hope you have too, if not expect it to get much worse if these plans go ahead.
Whilst Cheadle Town Council responds to this crisis in the next few weeks. We feel it's important that everyone has their say about the place they live. You can do so here:
You have until the 24th of September to do so - Please, please have your say.
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