Latest news from Wake up Macc

Nothing to report on the town centre development, but the Local Plan consultation continues and we have until 19th April to contribute. The Plan will form the basis of planning decisions in the Borough until 2030. The online consultation document is at http://cheshireeast-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/cs/. You can also find a hard copy in the library, which might be easier to use.

You can comment via the consultation document itself, or simply send an email to localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk

The plan is hugely complex, but one of the key concerns is the amount of greenfield and greenbelt sites allocated for developers whilst brownfield sites in the town stay undeveloped. The Save Macclesfield Green Belt Campaign at http://www.savemacclesfieldgreenbelt.com/ has template letters setting out what they see as the main objections.

Three pieces of good news –

1. Wander down to the bottom of Park Green and take the alley between the Gradus building and the new Peaks and Plains apartments, and you’ll see a new riverside walkway running along the Bollin to Brook Street. The walkway completes the transformation of this former derelict mill complex that had been lying abandoned behind hoardings for years.

2. The derelict Sutton Castings building on Churchill Way is finally being demolished. No immediate plans to put anything in its place, but let’s hope the site proves more attractive to a developer once it’s clear..

3. The almost derelict Albion pub building on the London Road has been demolished, and will be replaced by housing.

No news yet on Lidl – the planning application has been in since October, but there’s no decision yet.