Key decision for Chester’s future to be taken on 23rd July
Key decision for Chester’s future to be taken on 23rd July
Following criticism from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and others, Cheshire West & Chester Council have opted to leave open a study to identify which bits of Green Belt may be released for development until further evidence is available.
CPRE said that the Council should first have worked out how much land was available in the towns across the Borough, and how much land might be needed for jobs and homes, before even thinking about opening up the Green Belt.
The Council have now agreed with that, saying that the study won’t be completed until after they have decided on their “Core Strategy Preferred Option”, which will set out how broadly much growth there will be in the Borough and where it will go.
A key Council committee will recommend what the “Preferred Option” should be at a meeting on July 23rd, including whether it should involve building on the Green Belt. It’s important that these Councillors know what local people think, and you can find their contact details on the Council website at http://bit.ly/MxVsuQ.
Ann Jones from CPRE Chester said that “We recognise the need for more houses and jobs across the whole Borough – but they’ve got to get the locations right so that we get most public benefit and least environmental damage.
“It’s important not to set targets we can’t meet either - the “option” the Council describes as “moderate growth” would actually be well in excess of the highest rate of house building the area has ever seen. If the Council then fails to meet its own targets, it will be forced to allocate land and grant permission for building in unsustainable and inappropriate places, on greenfields and in the countryside.
“The Green Belt has played a vital role in driving investment and development to the most suitable places for many years, and we just can’t afford to change that approach now.”