CWAC Local Plan Consultation

(Scroll down for information and pre-prepared answers, that might help you if you wish to respond to the consultation, kindly put together by Mark O'Sullivan and Mick Flaherty.)

CWAC has sent out this information

"This consultation is the first formal stage of producing a new Local Plan, and we are seeking views on how and where to accommodate new development, including identifying potential growth areas around settlements. The consultation sets out possible policy approaches across a range of subject areas including transport, protection of the environment and infrastructure.

We are also seeking views on supporting documents including a Sustainability Appraisal (SA); and a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA).

To view all documents and supporting information and submit your comments online, visit: https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/localplan

The easiest way to respond to the consultation is online. The consultation portal will guide you through the consultation, providing an opportunity to comment on each policy area that you are interested in, and make it quicker and easier for us to analyse and respond to your comments.

Alternatively, if you want to respond by email or post, please send your comments to:

Email – planningpolicy@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Post – Planning Policy, Cheshire West and Chester Council, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA

If responding by email or post, please ensure that you include your name and contact details, organisation (where relevant) and which chapter, policy approach or section you are commenting on (including the question number, policy reference and/or paragraph).

The consultation documents are also available to view during normal working hours at 

 Frodsham Library (although not included in the council's list below)

The Portal, Wellington Rd, Ellesmere Port CH65 0BA

Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR

Northwich Memorial Court, Chester Way, Northwich CW9 5QJ

Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford CW7 1AH

The Council’s mobile library – for more information, please see:  https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/libraries/find-a-library/mobile-library-service"

Scroll down for information and pre-prepared answers, that might help you if you wish to respond to the consultation, kindly put together by Mark O'Sullivan and Mick Flaherty.

Climate Action Frodsham (CAF) recognises that the nation needs more housing and also recognises the value of Green Belt and open spaces. Please consider the various factors for yourself and respond to the consultation if you wish.

NB. A paper version of the Local Plan may be viewed at Frodsham Library during normal working hours.  

Pages 20, 23 and 36 outline options A,B & C.

P.55 (or thereabouts) shows the map of Frodsham with possible new houses under options B & C (see below for explanation).

If you look online and are not used to planning documents, it might be difficult to find your way around. If you click on this url:

https://consult.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/kse/event/38393/section/s1750409416313#ID-6510721-BOX-SS-5

you can scroll down to "Map 5.10 Frodsham growth options", which lists three options and has some questions underneath.

Please note that if option A is chosen, there will be no building on Green Belt and very few (if any) new houses built in Frodsham.

Options B & C could both involve a lot of new houses being built on Green Belt, but not necessarily on the whole of the areas identified:

a large area of housing might be built on the fields (Green Belt) beyond Thirlmere Close, down to Ellis Lane {FRO01}and going south in the fields behind Fairways and Lansdowne and then bordering on the Kingsley Road, B5152 {FRO02}

Also there might be housing built on fields (Green Belt) to south-west of Frodsham, between the railway line and the A56 {FRO03}

For your information:

 "Monumental changes to Green Belt planning policy were finalised in December 2024; changes that will significantly increase development in these previously protected parts of England."   (from https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/green-belt-golden-rules/)

Look online for more information about the options and plans (on the CWAC website) and elsewhere for more about "the Green Belt”.   Also, you may contact CWaC Council for further information by calling 0300 123 8123 quoting ‘Local Plan 2025’ or emailing:

spatialplanning@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Mark O'Sullivan and Mick Flaherty have produced this information which is also on the Frodsham Community Group, Facebook group and in other local groups.

Pre-prepared answers to Key questions: SS41, SS42, SS43

Question SS 41

Which of the identified potential growth areas around Frodsham do you consider to be the most suitable?

Of the three areas identified, FRO01 and FRO02 are completely unsuitable. Proposing FRO01 and FRO02 is a terrible idea. It adds pressure to failing infrastructure. It increases flood risk. It destroys wildlife corridors. It worsens air quality. It lowers property values. It puts lives at risk. It benefits developers and damages communities. This is not sustainable. It is not justified. It is not acceptable.

FRO03 is the best (meaning least worst) identified option assuming the development is suitably sized, and that traffic can enter the site without congestion.

However, I feel that the land to the south of Lady Hayes (the other side of the B5152) would also be suitable. Huge area which adjoins the B5152 for good access to Frodsham and Kingsley.

Although it is about two miles from Frodsham Train Station, using the iTravel bus this journey could be completed in just a few minutes allowing residents to use the train if they can/wish to do so.

Question SS 42

Do you have any further comments about any of the potential growth areas identified around Frodsham?

Yes, don’t build on FRO01 and FRO02. This is not a polite suggestion. It is a firm and direct objection to building on FR001 and FR002, two parcels of Greenbelt land that border Hob Hey Wood and form part of Frodsham’s only remaining rural buffer. This proposal is a textbook example of poor planning: it increases flood risk, overloads roads, strains local services, destroys wildlife routes, and rips up national policy. If approved, it will damage the town and everyone in it.

Objections in detail

Severe Impact on Ancient Woodland

Hob Hey is a Site of Biological Interest and ancient woodland, Britain’s most biodiverse habitat.

The wood is home to thousands of species varying from common, to locally scarce, to nationally rare. Over 800 species are listed on the national biological recording site iRecord. Many species only occur in ancient woodland, an increasingly rare habitat.

The wood is a haven for both wildlife and local people who enjoy walking the woodland and reaping the benefits of being in nature such as reduced anxiety and depression. Improvements to the immune system and reduced blood pressure also result from time spent in nature.

Source: Nature and Mental Health Report’, Mind.

Source: (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9665958/).

Wildlife Corridors Will Be Destroyed

Hob Hey Wood is not a decorative patch of trees. It is a functioning woodland used by many species that need access to the surrounding environment. The wood connects to wider habitat corridors through the FR001 and FR002 areas. These corridors keep the ecology alive.

Building here breaks those links forever. You can’t replace a hedgerow or regenerate a breeding ground once it’s buried under concrete.

Source: Planning Inspectorate – https://nsip-documents.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/published-documents/EN010153-000069-6.1_ES%20Vol%201%20Chapter%207%20Terrestrial%20Ecology.pdf

Significant Disturbance to The Woodland

Hob Hey is relatively secluded. Building hundreds of houses nearby could lead to significant disturbance of the woodland and its wildlife. The resulting huge increase in pets would result in problems. Cats are supreme predators which would take a toll on wildlife. Dogs would also disturb wildlife and their feces have been shown to cause nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/.../dog-pee-and-poo-harming...

Flood Risk is Not a Hypothetical

Surface water flooding is the biggest threat to homes in England today. Over 4.6 million homes are now at risk from it. That’s double the number at risk from rivers or coastal surge. In Frodsham, those risks already exist. Hob Hey Wood and the green land around it act as a sponge. They slow rain and reduce flood peaks. Building on FR002 and FR001 means water runs off faster, overloading drains and pushing into homes and roads. The council’s own Flood Risk Assessment warns against removing these natural barriers. From the late 1990’s to 2005 this happened in Langdale Way! Residents experienced multiple sewerage floods leading to a campaign involving both the council and United Utilities to resolve the issue before the houses became uninsurable. This resulted in a year long disruptive excavation at Manor House School fields to install huge tanks to stem the catastrophic floods. UU stated that this was the only site that that type of construction could take place. House building adjacent could result in these issues arising again! Source: Cheshire West SFRA – https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/documents/parking-roads-and-travel/highways/flood-risk-assessment-final-report.pdf

Source: Financial Times – https://www.ft.com/content/ff3bb769-9339-4015-80bc-4a3ea446504e

Question SS 43

Are there any constraints, including infrastructure provision, that should be considered for Frodsham when developing the new Local Plan?

Traffic is Already Broken

The A56 and main roads through Frodsham are regularly gridlocked. When the M56 is closed or partially shut, all diverted traffic comes through the town. The Weaver Viaduct carries over 112,000 vehicles daily. That number spikes during roadworks, collisions, or closures. None of this is future risk. It's already happening.

Add hundreds of extra vehicles from FR001 and FR002 and the problem gets worse. Emergency vehicles already struggle to get through. This development will slow response times even more, putting lives at risk.

GP Practices and Schools Are Full

There is no spare capacity in Frodsham’s infrastructure. GP practices are running at limit. Schools are close to capacity. New homes mean more pressure, more waiting, more stretched services.

No part of this development includes concrete plans or funding for new public services. That means the burden falls on existing ones, which are already struggling.

Source: Cheshire West Monitoring Reports – https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/planning-and-building-control/local-plan/authority-monitoring-report

Air Quality and Light Pollution Will Get Worse

Frodsham is already inside an Air Quality Management Area. Cars are the top local pollutant. FR001 and FR002 would bring more cars, more exhaust, and more noise into a space that’s supposed to be protected. Lighting from new housing, cars and street lamps will spill into Hob Hey Wood and rural zones. This ruins habitat for nocturnal species and affects human sleep cycles. Light pollution has a detrimental effect on bats. There are seven species present in Hob Hey Wood including rare Nathusius’ pipistrelle. Moths are also affected by light pollution.

Source: Cheshire West AQMA Action Plan – https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/documents/pests-pollution-food-safety/pollution-and-air-quality/air-quality-review-and-assessment/action-plans/action-plan-frodsham-0118.pdf Source: Bat Conservation Trust Guidance NoteGN08/23Bats and Artificial Lighting At Night. Source: Impact of light pollution on moth morphology–A 137-year study in Germany https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2021.05.004).

Antisocial Behaviour and Isolation Will Rise

New estates without integrated planning lead to social fragmentation. These areas become disconnected, under-policed, and under-supported. This isn’t speculation. It’s known from other developments nationally.

The National Planning Policy Framework requires that growth supports community cohesion. This proposal does not. It isolates new homes on the edge of town and dumps responsibility for cohesion onto already stretched services.

Source: NPPF (2023) – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2

House Prices Will Drop

People buy in Frodsham for access to open countryside, peace, and green views. Strip those away, and the value drops. This development removes the very features that give existing homes their worth.

Homeowners who’ve invested in the area will be hit with lower resale values and a loss of the rural edge they were sold on. Developers walk away with profit. Residents are left picking up the cost.