Final 2018-2030 1 Table of Contents
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Final 2018-2030 1 Table of contents 3. Foreword from the Steering Group Chair 4. Scope of the Plan 5. A Short History of Alsager 6. Alsager Today 7. Vision for Alsager Objectives, Policies and Justification 8. Economy and Employment (EE) 16. Town Centre (TC) 26. Housing (H) 34. Natural and Built Environment (NBE) 42. Community and Wellbeing (CW) 45. Traffic, Transport and Services (TTS) 52 Appendices 1. Glossary 2. Green spaces list and analysis 3. Wildlife corridors map 4. Listed and significant buildings 5. Sports facilities and school playing fields 6. Community facilities 7. Map of public rights of way 8. Evidence and research base 9. Draft delivery plan 10. Acknowledgements. 2 Foreward from the Steering Group Chair This plan has been prepared by the Alsager Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group on behalf of Alsager Town Council after two years of study, research and consultation with the local community. We have also worked closely with Cheshire East Council. We have consulted with the community in a number of ways throughout the plan-making process and we believe that this Plan reflects the views of our community. A strong message emerging from the consultation process was that the local people enjoy living and working in the town and wish to retain its identity and character. This was key to developing the overarching Vision for Alsager which is set out below. The objectives and policies of the Plan have been driven by the views of the local community and by wider research into a range of issues, and we strongly believe that the policies in this plan are robust and, if formally adopted, will provide the necessary planning policy framework for the future of the town up to 2030. The consultation process leading up to the preparation of this plan has been considerable and varied and will be set out in the Statement of Consultation. This has been a long journey for all concerned, but ultimately, with thanks to Alsager Town Council for its unfailing support and the tenacity shown by members of the Steering Group, I hope that the Neighbourhood Plan is accepted by the residents of Alsager in the Referendum and becomes a useful and used tool in the future planning process and development of Alsager. Christine Marsh Chair of the Alsager Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group 3 Scope of the Plan The Parish of Alsager was granted Neighbourhood Plan status in May 2017. In December 2018, after local consultation, the Plan area was extended to include the employment sites of Barthomley. The Alsager Neighbourhood Plan sets out a series of policies which, once made, will be used to guide development and the preparation of planning applications across the plan area. The policies will be used by Cheshire East Council in determining all planning applications for development proposals within Alsager. The Alsager Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared in general conformity with the strategic policies in the Cheshire East Local Plan (adopted July 2017) and the policies in the Sites Allocation Development Policies Document (SADPD) (August 2018). The Neighbourhood Plan will run for the same period as the Cheshire East Local Plan, expiring in 2030. The starting point for any application or development proposal in Alsager will be the Cheshire East Local Plan. Where development is compliant with the Local Plan, the Alsager Neighbourhood Plan will provide more detailed policy for the Plan area. Once made the Neighbourhood Plan will have the status of a Development Plan Document. A number of projects have been identified during the Neighbourhood Planning process and these have been detailed in a separate draft Delivery Plan for the Town Council – see Appendix 9. The Neighbourhood Plan area for Alsager is shown below. It includes the civic parish of Alsager plus the designated employment sites of Barthomley at Radway Green. 4 A Short History of Alsager Alsager is a name which has evolved over centuries. It is possible the original was Aella’s aecre, Aella being a common Saxon surname. At the time of the Domesday Book survey, in 1086, Alsager was named Eleacier. In 1068 there was a manor in Alsager but no record of the size of population. For hundreds of years Alsager lay within the rural parish of Barthomley, its population scattered in farms or clustered in the hamlet south of the present-day railway station. The rural economy was mixed farming and stock rearing, activities reflected in the countryside immediately surrounding the present-day town. The network of footpaths and bridleways goes back over centuries and links Alsager past very firmly to Alsager present. By 1851 the population was only 473 but it increased rapidly following the arrival of the railway in 1848. Alsager had a population of 1,912 by 1891. The coming of the railway attracted many Potteries families to live in the pleasant country village. They generated employment in the service and retail sectors and added Alsager’s fine Victorian houses. A War Memorial was unveiled in 1920 which was to record the names of those who fell in the First World War, later the names from the Second World War were added. It was paid for by public subscription which is typical of the history of charitable works which has prevailed throughout Alsager’s history. A committee was formed in support of future peace celebrations which included various religious denominations and representatives of Friendly Societies. The Second World War brought about another major change in the prosperity of the town when an armaments factory was built at Radway Green. Houses were built for the many skilled workers encouraged to come to Alsager from Woolwich Arsenal. Specially reinforced housing was built to accommodate the new residents and a social club was established which still thrives. The cases of ammunition were packed by a largely female workforce recruited from Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe. The ammunition produced at Radway Green played a vital part in the allied efforts during the Battle of Britain and D-Day landings. At its height, in 1942, Radway employed over 15,000 people, mostly women, working three shifts per day, seven days a week. After the war, the workforce was reduced to 1,500 and some diversification was needed. The factory began to produce domestic appliances, making 1,000 cookers per week. In 1962, work commenced on the production of coinage blanks for the Royal Mint, in preparation for the changeover to decimalisation in 1971. The 1970’s brought considerable investment in new plant and equipment for the manufacture of small arms ammunition and the facility became the largest and most modern of its kind in Europe. In 1985 the Royal Ordnance factories were privatised and two years later sold to British Aerospace. The plant was redeveloped in 2011 by BAE Systems at a cost of £83 million. The plant is capable of manufacturing one million small-arms bullets a day. The end of the Cold War and a reduction in the armed forces led to a need to look overseas where the sale of ammunition increased dramatically to record levels. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan also ensured the future of the works. In 2008 the Ministry of Defence announced a £2 billion contract with BAE Systems to supply British Forces. 5 During the Second World War a naval training facility, HMS Excalibur, was set up in a collection of wooden sheds. In the immediate post war years the sheds provided homes for refugees from the Baltic States. In 1940 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) established a hostel for workers consisting of a number of green Nissen huts and a central building. After the War the MOD used the site as an Emergency Teacher Training Centre for ex-servicemen to address an acute shortage of teachers. By 1948 the MOD had transferred the establishment to Cheshire County Council and the Alsager Cheshire County Training College for men and women was formed. In 1969 it became known as the Alsager College of Higher Education. It subsequently amalgamated with Crewe College of Higher Education and became the biggest Teacher Training establishment in the country. The College was the first in the country to validate a Creative Arts Degree and this resulted in the development of the Alsager Arts Centre which became a cultural hub for both students and the public. In 1989 the College merged with Manchester Polytechnic which later was designated a University, and the Alsager campus became a faculty of Manchester Metropolitan University. The site is now being developed for housing and a £6 million Sports Hub intended for community use. Another major employer was Twyfords Sanitary Ware, for whom a 52 acre site was completed in 1958. Twyfords was acquired by Caradon Bathrooms in 1985 and in 1992 MB Caradon invested £13 million in a new distribution complex which became the largest single unit devoted to vitreous china production and distribution in Europe. HSBC sold Twyfords to the Sanitex Corporation of Helsinki in 2001 but by 2010 the Sanitex parent group announced the closure of the Alsager factory. Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s many employees from ICL (International Computers United) Kidsgrove and English Electric/GEC, Talke chose Alsager as a desirable place to live. Cardway Cartons, manufacturers of corrugated paper, sacks and bags, were established in 1995 but are now seeking larger premises and the site is planned for housing. The sites of both Twyfords and ICL are now also housing developments. A high proportion of Alsager’s population commutes to work, with over 2,500 outward journeys each morning according to 2011 census figures. Although Alsager has the status of a town, it still retains something of a village atmosphere.