Urgent! Have your say on Wilmslow's Green Belt policy!

In addition to the Wilmslow Vision consultation process, we have just discovered that Cheshire East is also running a separate parallel process seeking comments on the planning policies themselves.  These will ultimately shape the outcome of the Wilmslow Town Plan, so it's critical that these are correct.  These policies are contained within the draft Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal scoping report: click here for the relevant page of Cheshire East's website.  


Whilst this is a relatively technical planning document, it contains an important (and incorrect) set of guidance relating to the treatment of Green Belt that we would encourage you to comment on to Cheshire East (see p.60 of the document).  The problem is that this Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal doesn't take into account the very helpful new guidance and protections given to Green Belts in Central Government's "National Planning Policy Framework", published only a couple of weeks ago (see here for a copy, if you're interested, but the important bits are reproduced below).  


Friends of Dean Row believes that it is critical for the Government's recent additional protections to Green Belt to be properly reflected in the Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal scoping report, and we have submitted our comments (copied below) to Cheshire East via their website.


We would encourage all other local residents to also have their say on the Green Belt policy, by submitting comments via the website.  Registration is quick and easy, and you can use the same details as for submitting your Wilmslow Vision questionnaire online.  

Click here and you should see Table B.1 (an orange table). Scroll down the page until you get to the second table (Table B.2). The section that we are encouraging people to comment on is the Planning Policy Guidance 2 – Green Belt section in Table B.2. If you would like to comment, click the 'Add Comments' link (in blue text) at the top of table B.2 

Please note that the deadline for comments is tomorrow, Tuesday 10 April 2012, so you will need to be quick!

All the best,
Friends of Dean Row




Our submission:

The policy guidance listed in "Planning Policy Guidance 2 – Green Belt" does not adequately reflect the important new guidance and protections to Green Belt areas which are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework ("NPPF"), published in March 2012 by Central Government and announced to the House of Commons by the Rt Hon Greg Clark, the Minister of State, on 27 March 2012. It is a critical and legal necessity that this Policy Guidance is followed.

The purposes of Green Belt as set out in "Planning Policy Guidance 2 – Green Belt" are inconsistent with the NPPF, and should be amended to read as follows (as taken directly from paragraph 80, p19, of the NPPF):

"Green Belt serves five purposes:

● to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;

● to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;

● to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;

● to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and

● to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land."

The "Implications for the Local Plan" as stated in "Planning Policy Guidance 2 – Green Belt" are clearly inadequate and inappropriate, based upon the NPPF. The current wording states that "any releases must be based upon sustainable considerations". This is not the correct test for release of Green Belt. The NPPF makes it clear that the threshold for releasing Green Belt is much, much higher than an assessment of sustainability.  Section 9 of the NPPF states that:

"The Government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.

The general extent of Green Belts across the country is already established.

When drawing up or reviewing Green Belt boundaries local planning authorities should take account of the need to promote sustainable patterns of development. They should consider the consequences for sustainable development of channelling development towards urban areas inside the Green Belt boundary, towards towns and villages inset within the Green Belt or towards locations beyond the outer Green Belt boundary.

As with previous Green Belt policy, inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

When considering any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. ‘Very special circumstances’ will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations."

The "Implications for the Local Plan" should therefore be amended within "Planning Policy Guidance 2 – Green Belt" to read as follows:

"The Local Plan should seek to maintain Green Belts.  Releases will not be made except in very special circumstances.  Substantial weight will be given to any harm to the Green Belt.  'Very special circumstances' will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt is clearly outweighed by other considerations.  The need to promote sustainable patterns of development need to be taken into account."