Prestbury Parish Council
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Prestbury Parish Council Mrs Georgina Ryder 41 Kenilworth Road Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 8PE Tel: 01625 260362 Email: [email protected] www.prestburyparish.com CHESHIRE EAST LOCAL PLAN STRATEGY – EXAMINATION IN PUBLIC ISSUES & QUESTIONS FOR THE RESUMED HEARINGS ID: 494897 - Prestbury Parish Council MATTER 6: OTHER MATTERS & ISSUES 6.1 Current position on other work undertaken during the suspension period a. Highways studies b. Sustainability Appraisal/ Habitats Regulations Assessment c. Stakeholder engagement: technical workshops and other meetings d. Suggested revisions to the Local Plan Strategy e. Other outstanding or forthcoming documents and evidence 6.2 Future progress of the examination 6.3 Other relevant matters and issues Prestbury Parish Council has persistently questioned the way that highways studies have been conducted – in a piecemeal fashion. Although Greater Manchester and CEC aspire to build all the SEMMMS roads within the period of the Cheshire East Local Plan, there has been no modelling of the traffic flows and impacts on communities of all the SEMMMS roads being constructed (ie. the A6 Stockport North-South Bypass, the A6-Manchester Airport Relief Road, the A523 Poynton Relief Road and the A523 Poynton-Macclesfield Improvements). The case for the Poynton Relief Road has not yet been made and it would not be appropriate to simply endorse it through this Local Plan. As far as stakeholder involvement is concerned, Prestbury Parish Council has engaged fully with the Local Plan process since its earliest stages and taken part in all stakeholder events it has been invited to. Cheshire East Council (CEC) promised on several occasions to “come and talk to Parish Councils” about the changes to the Local Plan as they emerged, including at a Macclesfied Area Meeting of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC) that was attended by Prestbury P.C. This did not happen. The one and only event held for Parish Councils since the examination was suspended was a joint one with other stakeholders two weeks after the CEC cabinet had endorsed the modifications and they had been sent to the inspector. The wider public have not been involved at all. As far as we can discern, at no point has CEC taken any cognisance of any of the Parish Council’s input. The technical workshops were not held for the benefit of the participants or to have any influence on the emerging Local Plan, they were a box-ticking exercise for the Local Plan process. How the examination proceeds is at the discretion of the inspector. We can only repeat the opinion we expressed in our submissions in response to Matters 1 & 2 and that is that the proposed changes to the Local Plan which CEC have now lodged are of such a scale that they cannot be regarded as minor modifications. Also to repeat our opinion that the Plan is not positively prepared. 1 On the subject of ‘other relevant matters and issues’ we would like to point out that this Local Plan process has become increasingly difficult to follow and stay engaged with. It has not helped that there has been no one advice note/explanatory document issued prior to the resumption of the EIP which sets out clearly what has happened since it was suspended, and how the new evidence that has come forward fits together. Local Plan processes are always demanding for wider stakeholders but this one has become particularly tortuous and therefore increasingly uninclusive. However, we trust that the inspector will take note of our input which is offered in good faith. 2 .