Moss residents meeting

A public meeting will be held at St Barnabas Church, Lyme Avenue, on Tuesday, February 19, from 7pm. to address residents concerns regarding a proposed roundabout near Macclesfield Town’s Moss Rose ground.

Proposals for development of a 63-hectare area of land off Congleton Road, known as the South Macclesfield Development Area (SMDA), include up to 950 houses, a primary school and a supermarket.

Outline planning permission for the site was secured 18 months ago but a condition was imposed that no development could begin until all ‘land acquisition and legal matters’ had been resolved. Another planning application – concerning public rights of way at the site – has now been approved.

However, the scale of the plans – from Engine of the North, an arm’s-length company of Cheshire East Council – have caused traffic concerns for people in the area.

Councillor Laura Jeuda, member for Macclesfield South, has organised the public meeting and it takes place at St Barnabas Church, Lyme Avenue, on Tuesday, February 19, from 7pm.

She said: “Engine of the North has agreed to speak to some of the residents. People are concerned about the proposed roundabout outside the football club.

“It is going to bring a lot of traffic and we don’t know a lot about it, it is all quite vague. That’s why we have organised a meeting, Engine of the North can explain and people can ask questions, hopefully any concerns can be allayed.”

Coun Jeuda will chair the meeting and leaflet residents in the area to tell them about it.

Also in the development will be a link road between Congleton Road and London Road, which is seen as a much needed route.

New sports pitches have also been proposed and Engine of the North has described the development as a ‘sustainable community within a quality environment’.

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “It was resolved to approve in 2017 but with conditions that development cannot go ahead until all land acquisitions and legal matters resolved. This was to avoid “inappropriate piecemeal development.”