Local Plan Issues and Options (Regulation 18)

Comment

Representation ID: 6512

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6927
Option A is the least damaging of the three, but it still risks overloading Northwich and Winsford unless housing numbers are phased, infrastructure is guaranteed upfront, and settlement identity is protected by clear green gaps. 1. Brownfield First Policy Strengthening • Make it explicit that all viable brownfield sites must be prioritised and fully built out before greenfield land is considered. • Require an annual Brownfield Delivery Report to demonstrate that brownfield opportunities are being maximised. • Set a borough-wide brownfield housing target (e.g. 50–60% of all new housing). 2. Infrastructure-Led Development • Insert a clear condition that any large allocations (e.g. 5,000 in Northwich, 11,000 in Winsford) are phased with infrastructure first – schools, GP surgeries, road capacity, and transport links must be delivered before or alongside housing, not afterwards. • Tie major development to delivery of key strategic schemes – e.g. replacement for Winnington Bridge, highway upgrades around Winsford, and new public transport corridors. 3. Settlement Identity and Strategic Gaps • Add specific policies to create settlement gaps/green buffers to prevent coalescence, particularly: o Between Northwich and its surrounding villages (Marbury, Anderton, Barnton). • Require a Landscape and Character Assessment for each growth area to shape boundaries. 4. Scaling Back Over-Concentration • Challenge the assumption of >5,000 homes in Northwich. This level of growth far exceeds local infrastructure capacity. • Suggest redistributing some housing numbers through smaller, sustainable brownfield regeneration opportunities across Chester, Ellesmere Port, and other urban centres. • Argue for a stepped trajectory: lower housing delivery in the early years, while infrastructure constraints in Northwich are addressed. 5. Employment Land Strategy • Support refurbishment/reuse of existing employment areas but resist further greenfield expansion until a proper Employment Land Review shows real demand. • Limit large-scale warehousing unless it can demonstrate local employment benefits (not just HGV traffic). • Strengthen “town centre first” policy for offices to protect Chester and Northwich centres. 6. Renewable Energy Safeguards • Clarify that solar and renewable energy proposals should focus on rooftops, brownfield, and industrial land, not prime agricultural or open countryside. • Link renewable policies to food security and biodiversity protection.

Comment

Representation ID: 6515

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6930
No

Comment

Representation ID: 6516

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6931
No

Comment

Representation ID: 6519

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6935
Option C is not appropriate

Comment

Representation ID: 6520

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6936
Option C is not appropriate because it relies on a flawed assumption that existing rail and bus routes can accommodate significant new housing. In reality, transport services in areas like Marbury remain limited, infrequent and unreliable. Rural residents are and will remain car-first in accessing jobs, schools and services. This option also requires the largest Green Belt release – over 12,000 homes – creating linear sprawl along corridors and eroding the distinct identity of our towns and villages. Critical infrastructure constraints such as Winnington Bridge already compromise Northwich, and Option C would intensify these pressures without deliverable solutions. Sustainable transport must be improved, but it cannot be used as the basis for large-scale development allocations at this stage.

Comment

Representation ID: 6521

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6937
Yes but constraints must also include: transport pinch points, cumulative impact of other developments in the area (such as Hynet), food security, and coalescence risk.

Comment

Representation ID: 6523

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6940
- Infrastructure capacity and phasing – whether schools, GP surgeries, highways, and public transport can be delivered before or alongside development, not years later. - Settlement identity and coalescence – ensure allocations do not cause villages and towns to merge; protect green gaps and local character. - Cumulative impacts – assess site proposals in the context of other major projects (e.g. Hynet pipeline, Winnington Solar, existing consents) that already strain local services and transport. - Environmental and agricultural value – protect the best and most versatile farmland, biodiversity networks, and flood management functions of open land. - Deliverability and realism – test whether sites are genuinely viable, supported by funding and deliverable infrastructure, rather than aspirational or dependent on uncertain schemes  

Comment

Representation ID: 6531

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6948
NOR01 - The 1600 homes North of Barnton, muted in the consultation, has already filled our MP’s inbox. There is simply not the local infrastructure to support this including prolonged issues with flooding, highway conditions. Outsides agriculture, the greenbelt are established areas enjoyed by the residents of Barton, Anderton & Comberbach. A point to notes, this area is reported to have a Codicil  in place, preventing the lands sale/development for housing.

Comment

Representation ID: 6536

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6953
Only those referenced within Option 2, for the reasons highlighted throughout this submission. 

Comment

Representation ID: 6538

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Councillors)

I&O_6955
Yes – Northwich faces significant constraints that must be addressed before further growth is planned. The single-lane Winnington Bridge is a critical bottleneck and there is no funded replacement, while existing schools, GP surgeries and roads are already under pressure. Major projects such as the Hynet pipeline and the Winnington Solar scheme will add years of disruption and heavy HGV traffic. These factors, combined with the risk of coalescence of surrounding villages, mean infrastructure delivery must come first before any additional allocations are made.