We are writing with comments ahead of the deadline on November 15th to the proposed local plan for housing, specifically the suggested 2,400 new homes being built on green belt by 2038.
The green belt around South Warrington should be a priority for protection and not development. Warrington is short of green spaces as it is, and plans to build on existing space should not be allowed. Warrington has a rich heritage as a Cheshire town and the lands surrounding it have been a welcome buffer to the residents from the M56 and growing urbanisation.
New homes have just been completed in Appleton / Stretton near Stretton school and the Park Royal and the increased strain on London Road and other local roads is plain for all to see. This coupled with the Appleton Thorn inland border facility for post Brexit checks has made the roads in the area into literal car parks. As a local resident in the last month alone I have been stuck in tail backs of traffic on Hatton Lane when there has been an issue on the M56.
The increased pressure of population in the area will be a detrimental affect to the local fight against climate change and pollution. Public transport is not up to the task and I can only see the burden on roads and local services, (Doctors, Hospitals and Schools), growing.
I can see Stockton Heath and the roads around it that are already strained getting much worse.
Surely consideration for more affordable housing in and around town should be made. With the close proximity of Bank Quay and Central stations the need for car ownership for residents there would be less whereas anyone living in the new proposed green belt developments would need their own vehicles to get anywhere.