Join the campaign: the new red banner at the InfoBox
A big new red banner has been put up at Whaley Bridge’s new iconic site, in front of the InfoBox, created from an old red telephone box at the station entrance.
It’s the latest idea from Whaley Bridge Matters, the campaign group set up by local people outraged at building plans for a beautiful Greenfield site near their homes on Macclesfield Road.
The group is intensifying its objections to proposals that could see a 107 homes estate in the field and the High Peak Borough Council including the site – and adjoining acres known as C9 – in their Local Plan.
The proposal for an estate came from mega-developer Gladman just before Christmas. The borough council still has to pronounce on that. At the same time, the council is now putting together the Local Plan under pressure from the government.
Whaley Bridge Matters plans to lobby all borough councillors before their final vote on the Local Plan. Members and supporters are asked to meet at Buxton Pavilion Gardens at 6.30pm on Monday 24 Feb to show their small banners as councillors arrive for a meeting.
Whaley Bridge petition signed by 527 people
The agenda for Monday’s borough council meeting (see above) revealed that 1,071 people and organisations have responded to the consultation on the Local Plan, four times as many as a consultation a year ago.
Petitions from Whaley Bridge carried 527 signatures. Petitions from Glossop had 372 signatures, and one from Hayfield had 13 signatures.
The council agenda said that the evidence base for the consultation is ‘substantially completed’, but further work is awaited on studies involving land, transport and plan and viability
A workshop for councillors takes place next Tuesday 4 March (Shrove Tuesday) for them to receive an overview on
housing needs
highway issue
landscape impact
‘and to consider the evidence and issues in relation to the most contentious sites.’
Because of the ‘significant’ increase in responses, councillors are being given an additional two weeks ‘to ensure that all points can be properly considered before Local Pan is produced for councillors’ consideration.”
The final version of the Local Plan will be published, allowing six more weeks for formal representations.