Unanimous vote sparks hope for the people of Adlington

An eye-catching 70-0 vote to oppose a new town development in Adlington highlights the strength of local opposition to the plan from the local community.

In September the government’s new towns taskforce earmarked Adlington as a potential site for a new town – bringing around 20,000 new homes, built over nearly 2,500 acres of greenbelt and countryside.

A 2,900-acre site has been identified for the proposed Adlington New Town, comparable to the built footprint of Macclesfield (2,500 acres).

Following the announcement, residents in Adlington started a movement to opposing the plans, creating a group called Stop Adlington New Town (SANT) to mount their fight.

Aysha Hawcutt, one of the group members, said locals “were absolutely blindsided” by the initial announcement.

“There’s been an awful lot happening. Sometimes it feels it’s been moving really quickly. Other times it feels this has been going on forever. It’s literally on our minds, 24 hours-a-day,” she said.

Twelve new towns were included on the shortlist released in September, with Adlington being the only development that has been opposed by local authorities.

Aysha said: “The Adlington new town proposal does not meet the criteria on any level. All of the other proposals are supported by their local authorities.

“It is the only piece of green belt left preventing Manchester and Stockport’s urban sprawl. The agriculture and farming loss would be horrendous at a time when another arm of the government says they’re trying to increase the UK’s food security. The habitats and ecosystems here are of historic importance and they will be destroyed.”

On Wednesday, a vote was taken at a meeting of Cheshire East council which resulted in unanimous opposition to the proposed development. Aysha described the decision as “really emotional.”

“Just seeing so many people standing up to defend our little corner of the world, to have a cross-party unanimous vote, not one single abstention, everybody coming together,” she added.

Aysha said the way in which Adlington came together to call for change was inspiring.

“We are a small community but I never realised quite how mighty we were. The best thing to come out of this has been the community, growth, spirit and support for each other. There’s an awful lot of people around here with a lot of passion, a lot of expertise, and a lot of knowledge. People have come together like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” she said.

The development has been pushed for by Belport, who own a majority of the land outlined in the new town proposal.

A spokesperson for Belport has said: “We recognise the concerns raised by Cheshire East councillors and local residents, particularly around green space, farmland and infrastructure – and these issues are central to the development of our emerging masterplan for Adlington.

“Our proposals will ensure that new transport, social and community infrastructure is delivered in phases alongside homes, so services grow with the community, incorporating nature, heritage and local character is a core principle in all early design work.

“Around 40% of the area would be publicly accessible green or blue space, including parkland, woodland trails, riverside walks, sports pitches and new nature areas, with biodiversity enhancement and habitat creation guiding the plan.”

Any further decisions on Adlington’s future are set to be made by the government in the spring. Aysha Hawcutt has wrote an open letter to Steve Reed – secretary of state for housing, communities, and local government – to urge a decision to be made before then.