Cheshire East to work with villages on details of Local Plan

 

Cheshire East Council is set to engage with villages and rural areas over the detailed stages of the Local Plan.
The Local Plan has focussed, thus far, on larger towns and the main strategic development sites. As this stage nears completion, the Council will start to focus at a more detailed level.
Cheshire East Council Deputy Leader Councillor David Brown, Cabinet member in charge of strategic communities, said:  “We want to work closely with villages and rural parishes to ensure we get a detailed planning framework in place.

“We want to hear from villages about their future development needs – for businesses, recreation or community facilities.

“The recent assessment showing Cheshire East has a five-year supply of housing land should also provide the opportunity for a more measured approach to housing, giving time for local communities to consider their future requirements.”
Cheshire East Council last week published its latest assessment of housing land supply in the Borough – which shows that the authority now has more than a five-year supply of housing land, inclusive of a crucial five-per cent buffer for choice and competition.

It means Cheshire East’s countryside should now be better protected against unsustainable development.

Cheshire East Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said it signalled the Council’s determination to continue its fight to fend off unplanned, unsustainable and unwanted development in the Borough and protect the best of our countryside.

The latest assessment takes account of all the latest information and available data – and includes all evidence on housing completions and planning permissions up to December 31, 2013.

The assessment recognises the results of appeal decisions in the autumn, which concluded that the Council could not demonstrate a five-year supply of housing at that point and takes on board many of the comments made by the Planning Inspectors. It also follows consultation with the Housing Market Partnership, in December, on methodology and sources of supply.

The five-year-housing supply report will go before a meeting of the Council’s Strategic Planning Board on Wednesday (February 5).

The five-year housing requirement is 8,311 homes (inclusive of a five per cent buffer) and the identified supply is 9,757 homes – equivalent to 5.87 years. The Housing requirement is based on the figures in the former North West Regional Spatial Strategy.

The Council’s Local Plan document is due to be ratified by the Government later this year. The Local Plan will then provide a blueprint for necessary sustainable growth in terms of housing and infrastructure.

For more information about the Local Plan, visit the Council’s website at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning and click on the ‘Cheshire East Local Plan’ link.