August 2025 – Press Release
Woodland at Poynton Pool valued at £4 Million Still Under Threat as Cheshire East Council Pushes Ahead with Controversial Spillway Plans
Campaigners fighting to save cherished woodland surrounding Poynton Pool and Park have been told Cheshire East Council (the Council) is about to press ahead with plans that will see trees recently valued at £4m[1] felled, cut back and irreparably damaged by construction work.
Despite recent meetings between the Council and campaign group Friends of Poynton Pool (FoPP), during which FoPP was told its latest alternative scheme for spillway improvements was viable – a stalemate still exists. The Council as applicant has advised it is going to be resubmitting proposals to planning in the next few weeks despite widespread public opposition and the availability of less destructive alternatives.
Now FoPP is calling on the public to step up opposition to the scheme by writing to the Council leader, Cllr Nick Mannion – Nick.mannion@cheshireeast.gov.uk – to raise their concerns.
Poynton Pool, classified as a reservoir, falls under the statutory oversight of the Council, which is required to undertake safety improvements following a September 2024 inspection. The latest safety inspection mandated:
- A new flood study by February 2025.
- Using the outcome of the flood study, designs for improvement works to be completed by December 2025.
- Construction of the improvement works completed by December 2026.
Despite the statutory deadlines, the Council has advised FoPP that the revised flood study, which identifies potential risks and informs the design of improvement works, will not be completed until the end of August 2025, six months past the February deadline.
When the Council’s plans were previously presented to its Strategic Planning Board (SPB) in April 2024, they were met with a 5,800 signature petition, 1,700 objections and fierce criticism. The proposal breached 20 local plan policies, with the Council’s planning officer’s report acknowledging the severity of the environmental impact, stating:
“The creation of two 40m wide gaps within this prominent roadside woodland that forms the boundary to Poynton Park will be a brutal intervention, and unequivocally harmful. Substantial weight is given to this harm.”
Despite this, the application was recommended for approval due to perceived risk from the dam and a lack of viable alternatives. The SPB deferred the decision, requesting further investigation into:
- Accuracy in the submitted data to ensure modelling is accurate[2]
- Review condition and risks associated with the dam wall and the impact of tree removal on the embankment[3]
- Engagement with third parties to explore other options
- Possibility of an independent review
- Location and feasibility of mitigation alternatives
Viable alternatives acknowledged — but not adopted
Mike Ellison, Chairman of Friends of Poynton Pool Ltd (FoPP), has expressed frustration at the Council’s continued pursuit of the original plan:
“Unfortunately, the Council waited 10 months to meet with FoPP despite repeated requests. The Council and its engineers have now acknowledged that there are viable alternative solutions for Poynton Pool. Although our low-cost solution to raising the crest of the dam was summarily dismissed by the Council’s engineer, our proposal for an enlarged overflow has been accepted by all parties, with acknowledgement that increasing the embankment height does not require a kerb or hard engineered feature, which would remove and damage trees.
We estimate the cost of the Council’s proposed scheme could be more than £5.5m at today’s prices, taking account of all relevant costs such as the CAVAT value of the trees and the land retained at Walnut Tree Farm for mitigation planting. This is more than 5 times the cost of our scheme if the Council undertook the stage 1 works to enlarge the overflow – which would meet the statutory requirements. Stage 2 works to add a new culvert under the road could be undertaken later.
We are also concerned that the Council has not yet carried out a geotechnical investigation. They have advised that a report will not be available for at least 4 months, following a procurement process. Without this information the geotechnical risk of any proposal cannot be evaluated either technically or financially.”
FoPP’s alternative would preserve the woodland, removing only a single remnant tree stump and minor trees, and not breaching any local plan policies.
A recent statement from the Council’s project team suggests that despite ongoing dialogue, consensus may not be reached:
“We have reached the point where it may not be possible for the interested parties to reach agreement on an amicable solution… This may unfortunately be one of those occasions where we need to allow the various statutory processes to progress and determine the outcome.”
Community Calls for Preservation
The Friends of Poynton Pool and local residents continue to advocate for a solution that balances safety with environmental stewardship. With the Council’s own engineers acknowledging the feasibility of FoPP’s proposal, campaigners urge the Council to reconsider before irreversible damage is done to one of Cheshire’s most beloved natural assets.
[1] Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) based on Morris Tree Survey Report for Poynton Town Council 2023 uplifted to 2025 value
[2] A bathymetric survey in August 2024 confirmed the volume of silt plus water at Poynton Pool was 75,598m3 not 130,000m3 as previously stated by CEC
[3] A Statutory Section 10 report published in December 2024 advised “Care is required when removing large trees from embankment dams as the increase in moisture content may cause instability of the embankment and may create leakage paths as the root system decays.”
For the latest information on what Cheshire East Council is proposing and pushing ahead with visit: Preserve Poynton Pool – Friends of Poynton Pool
If you wish to express your concern and request a fully independent review please contact the following councillors:
Nick Mannion Council Leader nick.mannion@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Michael Gorman Deputy Leader michael.Gorman@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Rob Polkinghorne, Chief Executive rob.polkinghorne@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Or leave a letter at Poynton Civic hall in the Friends of Poynton Pool Post box.
