Poynton News
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Roadworks
Please note that the roadworks information supplied to us, is to the best of our knowledge correct at time of publishing, but *can be subject to change. More information from Cheshire East Council (except *) 0300 123 5020 or the Cheshire East website.
Road Closure - Clumber Road, scheduled for Monday 25th - Thursday 28th September 2017.
The closure from the junction with Park Lane to the junction with Orchard Close is to enable Cheshire East Highways to install highway drainage. Location Map - https://roadworks.org?tm=182901
The alternative route will be via the following streets: - Bulkeley Road, Park Lane, Clumber Road. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and vehicular access will be maintained for emergency vehicles and residents where possible. For more information contact Cheshire East Highways on 03001235020.
Road Closure - Woodford Road, scheduled for Monday 25th - Friday 29th September 2017.
The closure from the junction with Lower Park Road to the junction with Lower Park Crescent is necessary to enable Morgan Sindall to carry out resurfacing tie in works. Location Map - https://roadworks.org?tm=182884.
The alternative route will be via the following streets: Woodford Road, Chester Road, Dean Lane, Macclesfield Road, London Road North. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times, as will vehicular access for emergency vehicles and residents where possible.
Planning applications for:
- land at Chester Road, Poynton, application no: 17/3896M and
- land at Dickens Lane, Poynton, application no: 17/4256M
These are the responses sent by Poynton Town Council to Cheshire East Council.
Poynton Town Council Recommendation
Application No: 17/3896M Land at Chester Road, Poynton
Applicant’s name: Ainscough Strategic Land
Proposal: Outline planning application for the demolition of buildings forming no.199 Chester Road and residential development including associated infrastructure, open space and landscaping with all matters reserved for future approval with the exception of access.
The Town Council comments on this application are made in two parts: Part 1 sets out the reasons why the Council recommends refusal of this planning application while Part 2 sets out a series of planning considerations which we would request are taken into account in considering this and any future applications for this site.
Part 1 Reasons for the refusal of outline planning permission
1 The proposal is contrary to policy LPS 50 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. This policy applies wholly to this site. The application fails to respond to the site principles of development set out in LPS 50. In particular, the application fails to address key matters of infrastructure, impact on local and site amenities and affordable housing.
2 The proposed development would lead to an unacceptable increase in traffic at the junction of the access road into the proposed new estate and Chester Road (A5149) which is being redesigned to accommodate the new road layout for A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road and Poynton Relief Road. The proposed junction of the new access road and Chester Road is situated dangerously close to the new junction with the A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road and the existing access to the Oil Storage Depot.
3 In view of the impact of the A6 MARR and forthcoming Poynton Relief Road on both the proposed junction and the local highway network, this site should not be considered for development until both roads are completed, open to traffic and future traffic patterns in the local area have been established.
4 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable development policies SD1 and SD2 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. It is an unsustainable development, lacking public transport. Cheshire East Council are proposing to withdraw the only bus service (the P1) in the local area and it is a 20 minute walk to Poynton train station contrary to the assertions made in the applicant’s statement.
5 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable environment policy SE1 Design of the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. It is well over a mile from the site to the nearest shop, doctor’s surgery or Poynton High School. The vast majority of journeys will be by car, causing increased air pollution. It is not possible to assess whether this will breach legal limits, as Cheshire East do not monitor air quality on Chester Road despite it being an exceptionally busy road.
The application is unneighbourly in that the access road will have a serious detrimental impact on adjacent properties.
6 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable environment policies SE3, SE4 and SE5 concerning matters of biodiversity and geodiversity, landscape and trees, hedgerows and woodland of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. There would be an unacceptable loss of trees, hedgerows and woodland which contribute to residential amenities and make a positive contribution to the character of the local area. The proposed access road runs directly across an area of woodland.
7 The proposed development is contrary to infrastructure and developer contributions policies IN1 and IN2 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. The application submission makes no attempt to assess the physical, green and social and community infrastructure needs to be generated from this development.
8 On site physical delivery of infrastructure to serve the proposed development is not addressed in the application. It is unclear how utilities, water, gas, electricity, telecoms and sewage would enter and leave the site. (Note: If such services are to be within the access road to the housing development, the Town Council would urge that it be a planning condition that these are laid under the footway and not in the carriageway and installed in such a way as not to cause inconvenience and disruption to neighbouring properties).
9 The proposed development is contrary to Policy SE 12 concerning pollution, land contamination and land instability of the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. There is some risk of run-off surface water from the site which would drain towards Poynton Brook which has suffered serious flooding in recent years.
10 The proposed development would lead to urban sprawl as proposed and fails to satisfy one of the main purposes of national Green Belt policy (as per NPPF) as applied to the local area, namely to prevent the neighbouring areas of Poynton and Woodford (in Stockport MBC) merging into one another.
11 The application fails to comply with the Borough Council’s Statement of Community Involvement. No efforts or actions have been taken to respond to the strong objections of the local community to a major housing development on this site which relates to both the strategic removal of this site from the Green Belt and the more detailed site planning now being proposed. The Town Council believes it is a disgrace that this site has been put forward for development.
12 The planning application provides both insufficient and contradictory information to allow a full and informed assessment of the development now being proposed. In particular, there is a lack of clarification on how transport and connectivity issues will be taken into account and sustainability issues dealt with. Planning applications for the development of Local Plan Strategic sites should comply fully with the Local Plan guidelines which have been through full consultation and examination over recent years. The criteria set out for the development of each site in the Local Plan should be adhered to by both the developers and the Borough Council.
13 The proposed development is contrary to policies for Housing SE4 and SE5 concerning the residential mix and affordable homes of the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. A mixed community is needed to provide homes of varied sizes and tenures to serve the local housing needs as set out in the report on this application by the Council’s own Housing Officer.
Part 2 Possible Planning considerations for current and future planning applications for Chester Road site
1 Appropriate land uses
A residential development of up to around 120 dwellings (Use Class C3) is considered appropriate on the site. A housing scheme should comprise a mixture of dwelling types and sizes to facilitate the creation of a balanced and mixed community. The potential for elderly person accommodation and retirement homes (within Use Classes C2 or C3) should be considered. Due to the scale of the proposed development in the Local Plan, a variety of ancillary uses may be acceptable and necessary in land use planning terms to create a sustainable mixed-use community. Any planning application should clearly set out the nature and location of such uses. Such land uses and community facilities as respect the character and location of the site and meet the needs of the future and existing local residents will be considered on their merits, having regard to relevant development plan policies.
2 Amenity and children’s play space
Open space areas will be required to be identified and protected which are intended for active and passive recreation. These may include structures associated with such uses, such as children’s play equipment or benches. Any equipped children’s play areas should be well related to the residential properties which they serve and be integrated into the proposed housing area.
3 Housing mix
The development should create a balanced community with a mix of property types and tenures distributed across the site. The aim is to provide for both general market housing needs and meet the affordable housing needs of the Poynton area. The range of housing on the site should respond to the Poynton context in terms of character, layout and design. It is anticipated that given the size and location of the site, a mixture of 2, 3, 4 and 5+ bedroom properties should be achievable.
4 Affordable Housing
The exact format and type of affordable units to be provided within the development will meet the 30% affordable requirement set out in the Cheshire East Local Plan and should amount to around 45 units in total. A variety of affordable tenures is encouraged (social rented, shared ownership, rent to buy and intermediate rent and specialist accommodation). The full number of affordable units shall be provided on site. The location of affordable housing should be integrated with open-market homes to create a mixed and inclusive community. The external appearance of the dwellings should be compatible with the open market homes on the development. In this way, visual and social integration may be achieved.
5 Housing density
Density should reflect the mixed character of the existing Poynton area. It should also contribute towards ensuring the development along the site periphery to the east and south minimises the impact on the openness of the Green Belt at this point as well as the purposes of including land within it. The density, height and massing should vary to help establish different character areas of the development. Lower densities will be particularly suitable on the countryside fringe of the site. This would create a softer edge to the open countryside and minimise the impact of the development on the adjacent North Cheshire Green Belt. The overall density of the housing development should not exceed around 30 dwellings per hectare to achieve an appropriate form of development reflecting local character.
6 Vehicular access
The site may be accessed directly from Chester Road which may require changes to be made to planned highway configurations. Improvements will be required to the road and new junction arrangements as well as the proposed means of access to the A6 MARR and the Poynton Relief Road.
7 Amenities of local residents
The amenities of the existing properties on adjoining roads should be given particular attention in planning the development. It should not adversely affect the privacy or general amenity of existing adjoining occupiers.
8 Access for local services
The new development will lie at the western edge of the town and therefore some distance from local services apart from a local school. Any arrangements for health and other community and social services need to be addressed at the outline planning application stage.
9 Footpaths/cycle ways
Improvements are needed to facilitate non-car borne movement within the town for a variety of purposes. Opportunities to make improvements in the immediate vicinity of the site and the area around should be investigated as part of any planning application. A comprehensive scheme to connect this development and the existing ‘Bird estate’ (Mallard Crescent and roads off) with the town centre is required. For example, to improve existing pedestrian access to/from Grebe Close to/from Chester Rd (currently designated pedestrian only), provide safe crossing at Chester Road, widen pedestrian/cycle bridge over the railway (or provide new bridge), identify managed cycle route from bridge to the centre and to the High School – e.g. via Clifford Rd and Queensway. Existing marked cycle ways are often obstructed by parking and are not physically separated from the traffic-heavy main carriageway on Chester Road.
10 Public transport
If a bus service is being provided, a bus pull-in/turn around facility may be needed. An increase (not a decrease or removal of service) in service frequency of P1 to/from the centre is required in order to minimise car journeys especially at peak school times into central Poynton. Of the three strategic housing sites proposed in Poynton this is the most distant from the centre and High School. Developers will be expected to address the provision of public transport services to and from the site as part of any planning application.
11 Woodland, trees and hedgerows
The proposed entrance to the site would require removal of substantial areas of existing trees and hedgerow. Careful consideration to site layout will be required to minimise losses. A new planting scheme along the revised green belt boundary preferably along FP75 is required. It is suggested adding a wide green boundary along this route so as to preserve its rural character and avoid the footpath being directly against garden boundaries. The area bounding FP75 on the south west side opposite the development is designated as having ‘medium habitat distinctiveness’ in the Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) report prepared for the Poynton Neighbourhood Plan. Consultation with CWT as to how this distinctiveness might be extended or reinforced along FP75 / the boundary of the development should be undertaken. No TPOs are currently designated on this site. The Borough Council’s Forestry Officer should make an assessment as to which trees would merit protection.
12 Infrastructure including access to health, education and other services
Any planning application should explain how infrastructure to serve the physical, green, social and community services are to be provided for future residents and their homes and open areas. For example, the local Clinical Commissioning Group needs to take a view on where residents will be directed for health needs such as to Poynton or Bramhall. Infrastructure planning should be aligned with housing delivery throughout the course of development. Another example is infant and junior school capacity.
There is further information on the Cheshire East Council web-site here
Poynton Town Council Recommendation
Application No: 17/4256M Land at Dickens Lane, Sprink Farm, Poynton
Applicant’s name: Hourigan Connolly (Planning Consultants)
Proposal: Outline planning application for the demolition of all buildings and structures and the erection of up to 150 dwellings with 30% affordable homes, public open space, landscaping and sustainable drainage system (SuDS) and vehicular access point from Dickens Lane. All matters reserved except for means of access.
The Town Council comments on this application are made in two parts: Part 1 sets out the reasons why the Council recommends refusal of this planning application while Part 2 sets out a series of planning considerations which we would request are taken into account in considering this and any future applications for this site.
Part 1 Reasons for the refusal of outline planning permission
1 The proposal is contrary to policy LPS 49 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. This policy applies wholly to this site. The application fails to respond to the site principles of development set out in LPS 49 In particular, the application fails to address key matters of infrastructure, impact on local and site amenities and flood risk and mitigation.
2 The proposed development would lead to an unacceptable increase in traffic at three junctions: the junction of the access road into the proposed new estate and Dickens Lane, the junction of Dickens Lane with A523 London Road South and the junction at Waterloo Road/Dickens Lane. The use of Dickens Lane is already at unacceptable levels in terms of highway and pedestrian and other users’ safety. The development would increase traffic on other neighbouring roads in the vicinity including Waterloo Road and Moggie Lane in Adlington which both lack adequate and complete footways adjacent to these roads.
3 In view of the impact of the A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road (MARR) and forthcoming Poynton Relief Road on the local highway network, this site should not be considered for development until both roads are completed, open to traffic and future traffic patterns in the local area have been established.
4 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable development policies SD1 and SD2 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. It is an unsustainable form of development lacking adequate public transport. Cheshire East Council are proposing to withdraw the only bus service in the local area and it is at least a 30 minute walk to Poynton train station. The majority of travel would be by private car and the site is a significant distance from the nearest shops in Poynton centre for access on foot or other means.
5 The transport material supporting the application (including the transport plan and assessment) is seriously defective. Such material considerably understates levels of car ownership and usage which is common on estates such as this on the edge of Poynton. Figures taken from more urban and higher density areas elsewhere are not comparable to Poynton due to the higher levels of public transport available in those communities.
6 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable environment policy SE1 Design of the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. The application is unneighbourly in that the site access road will have a serious detrimental impact on adjacent residential properties.
7 The proposed development is contrary to sustainable environment policies SE3, SE4 and SE5 concerning matters of biodiversity and geodiversity, landscape and trees, hedgerows and woodland of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. There would be an unacceptable loss of trees, hedgerows and woodland which contribute to residential amenities and make a positive contribution to the character of the local area. The site and local area is of substantial nature conservation value which both residents and visitors value for its existing biodiversity. The site is a home for endangered species including bats and newts as observed by local residents. There is also local concern that not all the ponds on the site and nearby sites have been surveyed as part of this planning submission.
8 The proposed development is contrary to infrastructure and developer contributions policies IN1 and IN2 of the Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. The application submission makes no attempt to assess the physical, green and social and community infrastructure needs to be generated from this development.
9 The proposed development is contrary to Policy SE 12 concerning pollution, land contamination and land instability of the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan adopted as the strategic part of the Development Plan in July 2017. There is some risk about run-off of surface water from the site which would drain towards Poynton Brook which has suffered serious flooding in recent years. The indicative plan also appears to intrude into the prescribed flood risk zone along Poynton Brook.
10 The application fails to adequately the issue of flooding of this site. The site is bordered along its complete southern and eastern side by the Poynton Brook which flooded seriously in June 2016. A significant part of the site is within the indicative flood risk area indicated by the Environment Agency. The proposed layout from the development would intrude into the flood risk area. The run off from the site into Poynton Brook will increase the risk of flooding downstream.
11 Local residents have reported that the local drainage system in this area is wholly unable to cope with additional run off or sewage from this site. There are already existing sewage problems on Dickens Lane which have yet to be resolved.
12 The application fails to comply with the Borough Council’s Statement of Community Involvement. No efforts or actions have been taken to respond to the strong objections of the local community to a major housing development on this site which relates to both the strategic release of this site and the more detailed site planning now being proposed.
13 The development would have an adverse impact on the Poynton Brook wildlife corridor as identified by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust in the draft Poynton Neighbourhood Plan (Key Map 4 and emerging Neighbourhood Plan policy EGB18). The corridor has been mapped in accordance with paragraph 117 of the NPPF.
14 The planning application provides both insufficient and contradictory information to allow a full and informed assessment of the development now being proposed.
In particular, there is a lack of clarification on how transport and connectivity issues will be taken into account and sustainability issues dealt with. The application demonstrates a lack of knowledge and understanding of the nature of the site. For example, the standard of the applicant’s documents on flooding must be questioned as they indicate the stream is shown as flowing in the wrong direction. This suggests that no confidence can be placed to this document whatsoever.
Planning applications for the development of Local Plan Strategic sites should comply fully with the Local Plan guidelines which have been through full consultation and examination over recent years. The criteria set out for the development of each site in the Local Plan should be adhered to by both the developers and the Borough Council.
Part 2 Planning considerations for current and future planning applications for Dickens Lane site
1 Appropriate land uses.
A residential development of up to around 150 dwellings (Use Class C3) is considered appropriate on the site. A housing scheme should comprise a mixture of dwelling types and sizes to facilitate the creation of a balanced and mixed community. The potential for elderly person accommodation and retirement homes (within Use Classes C2 or C3) should be considered. Due to the scale of the proposed development in the Local Plan, a variety of ancillary uses may be acceptable and necessary in land use planning terms to create a sustainable mixed-use community. Any planning application should clearly set out the nature and location of such uses. Such land uses and community facilities as respect the character and location of the site and meet the needs of the future and existing local residents will be considered on their merits, having regard to relevant development plan policies.
2 Amenity and children’s play space
Open space areas will be required to be identified and protected which are intended for active and passive recreation. These may include structures associated with such uses, such as children’s play equipment or benches. Any equipped children’s play areas should be well related to the residential properties which they serve and be integrated into the proposed housing area.
3 Housing mix
The development should create a balanced community with a mix of property types and tenures distributed across the site. The aim is to provide for both general market housing needs and meet the affordable housing needs of the Poynton area. The range of housing on the site should respond to the Poynton context in terms of character, layout and design. It is anticipated that given the size and location of the site, a mixture of 2, 3, 4 and 5+ bedroom properties should be achievable
4 Affordable Housing
The exact format and type of affordable units to be provided within the development will meet the 30% affordable requirement set out in the Cheshire East Local Plan and should amount to around 45 units in total. A variety of affordable tenures is encouraged (social rented, shared ownership, rent to buy and intermediate rent and specialist accommodation). The full number of affordable units shall be provided on site. The location of affordable housing should be integrated with open-market homes to create a mixed and inclusive community. The external appearance of the dwellings should be compatible with the open market homes on the development. In this way, visual and social integration may be achieved.
5 Housing density
Density should reflect the mixed character of existing Poynton area. It should also contribute towards ensuring the development along the site periphery to the east and south minimises the impact on the openness of the Green Belt at this point as well as the purposes of including land within it. The density, height and massing should vary to help establish different character areas of the development. Lower densities will be particularly suitable on the countryside fringe of the site. This would create a softer edge to the open countryside and minimise the impact of the development on the adjacent North Cheshire Green Belt. The overall density of the housing development should not exceed around 30 dwellings per hectare to achieve an appropriate form of development reflecting local character.
6 Vehicular access
The site may be accessed directly from Dickens Lane which may require changes to be made to planned highway configurations. Improvements will be required to the road and new junction arrangements at Dickens Lane and London Road South as well as the proposed means of access to A6 MARR and the Poynton Relief Road. The adjacent road junction at Waterloo Road / Dickens Lane and the right angle as Dickens Lane turns into Moggie Lane is a danger spot for pedestrians due to inadequate footpaths. It should also be noted that traffic uses the Moggie Lane/Waterloo Rd route as a convenient bypass/cut through to and from areas to the east of the application site. Improvements are required in the interests of safety if the site is to be developed for 150 homes.
7 Amenities of local residents
The amenities of the existing properties on adjoining roads should be given particular attention in planning the development. It should not adversely affect the privacy or general amenity of existing adjoining occupiers. When consulted about the potential development of this site in the Neighbourhood Plan process, local residents were largely concerned about the loss of open space and open views to the south and east across farmland.
8 Access for local services
The new development will lie at the south eastern edge of the town and therefore some distance from local services apart from local schools. Any arrangements for health and other community and social services need to be addressed at the outline planning application stage.
9 Footpaths/cycle ways
Improvements are needed to facilitate non-car borne movement within the town for a variety of purposes. Opportunities to make improvements in the immediate vicinity of the site and the area around should be investigated as part of any planning application. There are a number of pubic footpaths near and within the site (Adlington FP16, FP52 and FP14 and Poynton FP77) which may have potential to improve non-car borne travel to and from the site. A comprehensive scheme to connect this development with the town centre is required.
10 Public transport
If a bus service is being provided, a bus pull-in/turn around facility may be needed. An increase (not a decrease or removal of service) in service frequency of P1 to/from the centre in order to minimise car journeys especially at peak school times into central Poynton. Of the three strategic housing sites proposed in Poynton this is the most distant from the railway station Developers will be expected to address the provision of public transport services to and from the site and the railway station as part of any planning application.
11 Woodland, trees and hedgerows
The proposed entrance to the site would require removal of substantial areas of existing trees and hedgerow. Careful consideration to site layout will be required to minimise losses. A new planting scheme along the revised green belt boundary is required. It is suggested adding a wide green boundary along this route so as to preserve its rural character and avoid the footpath being directly against garden boundaries. No TPOs are currently designated on this site. The Borough Council’s Forestry Officer should make an assessment as to which trees would merit protection.
12 Infrastructure including access to health, education and other services
Any planning application should explain how infrastructure to serve the physical, green, social and community services are to be provided for future residents and their homes and open areas. When consulted about the potential development of this site though the Neighbourhood Plan process, residents raised issues for them about the state of sewers/drains, flood risk of Poynton Brook, and the potential congestion arising from additional car journeys.
The local CCG needs to take a view on where residents will be directed for health needs such as to Poynton or Bramhall. Infrastructure planning should be aligned with housing delivery throughout the course of development. Another example is infants and / junior school capacity. The nearest infants/junior school to the site is Worth school which is accessible by footpath. It is a small school which may not have capacity for additional children and the Borough Council ought to review this.
There is further information on the Cheshire East Council web-site here.
Cheshire East Council's Air Quality Data Errors
On the 26th July 2017, Cheshire East Council confirmed that serious errors were made in the Council’s Air Quality Data in the period 2012-2014 and these errors were as a result of systematic and deliberate manipulation of data from a number of diffusion tubes. Upon receipt of this information, Poynton Town Council sought assurances from Cheshire East that the errors in the data did not relate to Poynton.
Cheshire East Council have confirmed that the tubes located in Poynton were not affected by the reported manipulation of the data and that at the time of release the figures supplied for the Poynton area were accurate. The most up to date data from Cheshire East Council can be seen here.
Liz Osborn, Town Clerk, 01625 872238
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