Residents across Poynton, Adlington, Prestbury, Wilmslow and Bollington have been left reeling after the Governments New Town Task force identified Adlington as one of the a sites for a new town, one of just twelve locations selected nationwide under the Labour’s New Towns Programme.
The plan was revealed in a report released on Sunday 6th October, apparently without any prior consultation with local councils. The plans propose the building of up to 20,000 homes on 1,921 acres of Green Belt land. The land is owned by the Belport Group, who have bought the Adlington Estate. The development is intended to be part of Phase One of the scheme with around 40% of the new homes designated as social housing.
Anger and Concern in Local Communities
Cheshire East councillors have expressed outrage at learning of the project through national press releases rather than through consultation.
Poynton Town Council warned that, although the site lies just outside the parish boundary, the impact on the town would be “significant,” ranging from pressure on infrastructure, roads, schools and healthcare to the loss of the countryside.
If it was fully delivered, the new town could bring a population of around 60,000 people, making it larger than Macclesfield and erase nearly 2,400 acres of Green Belt countryside.
Political and Environmental Opposition
Macclesfield MP Tim Roca has said he will fight the scheme, calling it “a proposal that risks large-scale and irreversible harm to our Green Belt.” He urged ministers to focus on redeveloping brownfield sites and existing urban areas.
Conservation groups are also concerned. The Cheshire Wildlife Trust said that the development would add “unsustainable strain” on already fragile local ecosystems. They pointed out that the county is “one of the most nature-depleted areas in the country” making the loss of such a large tract of countryside especially damaging.
Government’s Justification
The New Towns Taskforce maintains that Adlington has been chosen for its strategic position between Cheshire and Greater Manchester and has the potential to feed into the region’s science and innovation sectors.
Chair Sir Michael Lyons defended the approach, saying that the Taskforce had worked with landowners, designers and investors. He also suggested that dedicated development corporations would be established to oversee each new town, ensuring delivery of housing and infrastructure while giving the new communities a “clear and distinct identity.”
A Long Battle Ahead
Parish and town councils, MPs and residents’ groups across the area have vowed to fight the proposals and campaigners are already organising to demand a say in what happens next.
