NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN SURVEY RESULTS

Alderley Edge Neighbourhood Plan

Press release

Issued: September 2017

Local Residents Have Their Say on the Future of Alderley Edge

As part of the development of a Neighbourhood Plan for Alderley Edge, residents were recently asked to complete a questionnaire about the village; what they valued most and any changes they wanted over the coming years. The Neighbourhood Plan, which is now being written by a number of residents, will guide future planning decisions in and around the village.

The team already reported some weeks ago about preferred sites for additional housing, if called for in Cheshire East’s Local Plan. These included Harden Park, Hole Farm near Brook Lane bridge, land adjacent to A34 (Ryleys Farm), land opposite Horseshoe Farm and land to the north of Beech Road. Residents also wanted to see more small, affordable housing, including bungalows, rather than continued development of larger luxury detached houses. And they considered that continued infill within the village boundaries was not acceptable;favouring smaller developments at selected sites around the boundary.

The survey also revealed that residents value the green spaces in and around the village and want to keep adegree of separation from neighbouring Wilmslow. Theywant to be part of a village community, with a distinctive identity.

In the proposed Plan, which will take Alderley Edge through to 2030, residents once again put retaining a village feel top of their list, with reducing the impact of traffic not far behind. Amongst the things most prized by them were independent, family-owned shops and residents wanted to see them given preference over the growth of further restaurants and bars.

Asked about transport, residents put concerns about poor road maintenance top of their list, closely followed by the availability of car parking and the need for more control of speeding vehicles. The favoured location for additional off-street car parking was the proposed extension of the existing Ryleys Lane car park.

The questionnaire also invited residents to comment on the centre of the village and more than three quarters of them wanted to see improvements to London Road, again focusing on increased car parking facilities around the village centre and greater encouragement for retailers in the village.

“The survey, undertaken in March, was an important early step for us as the results underpin the developmentof the Neighbourhood Plan; steering its direction. We are going to continue to consult widely on what residents and business people in the village want and at the end of the process they will have a chance to vote on the Plan in a local referendum” explained Sarah Greenwood from the Neighbourhood Plan Group. 

“We are now moving on to the next stage in the process, which will entail creating a vision statement for our village in 2030. The Neighbourhood Plan Group is open to any resident of Alderley Edge with an interest in the village’s future development. We would like to encourage those interested in contributing to register their interest at AlderleyNP@gmail.com”

The survey results can be seen in full at the Festival Hall and Alderley Edge Library. A new website is currently under construction which will give residents further information on the Neighbourhood Plan.