Agenda item

In accordance the Council Procedural Rules, a total period of 30 minutes is allocated for members of the public to speak at Council meetings. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 2 minutes, but the Chair will have discretion to vary this requirement where they consider it appropriate. 

Members of the public wishing to speak are required to provide notice of this at least three clear working days’ in advance of the meeting and should include the question with that notice.  Requests to speak and questions should be submitted via the Register to Speak form.

Petitions - To receive any petitions which have met the criteria - Petitions Scheme Criteria, and falls within the remit of the Committee. Petition organisers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak.

Congleton Town Councillor Robert Douglas highlighted that following the Government’s increase in the annual housing requirement for Cheshire East, the Council no longer had a five-year housing land supply. Councillor Douglas stated the impact that this had on planning decisions. Councillor Douglas felt having a five-year housing land supply was imperative for the Council in order to prevent inappropriate planning applications. He urged the Leader of the Council to request that a rigorous analysis be undertaken of every brownfield site, ensuring that the Council’s brownfield register remained up to date. Finally, Councillor Douglas requested that a Motion to be brought to the full Council meeting in May, calling on the Government to allow any brownfield site deemed appropriate to be compulsorily purchased, just as the Government had done for HS2, to achieve a five-year land supply.

In response Councillor David Jefferay, Chair of the Environment and Communities Committee, stated that the Council’s Brownfield Land Register was updated each year and, subject to no referral requests being received over the next few days, the 2026 register would be published shortly on the Council’s website. Councillor Jefferay highlighted that the Brownfield Land Register was not a comprehensive list of all brownfield sites and that regulations set out that, to be included, sites must not only meet the national definition of previously developed land but must also exceed minimum size thresholds and be considered suitable, available and achievable for residential?led development. For this reason, sites with planning permission or allocation in the Local Plan for residential development were included, as they had already undergone detailed assessment and community consultation. Other previously developed/brownfield sites without planning permission may exist, and parties were able to submit such sites to the Council throughout the year for consideration. Councillor Jefferay confirmed that the Council was preparing to start work on a new Local Plan that would consider the development needs of the Borough into the 2040s. Due to the complex nature of the questions raised, Councillor Jefferay committed to providing a full detailed response to Councillor Douglas.

Mr Stuart Redgard made a statement on behalf of Mr Peter Griffith who was unable to attend. Mr Redgard shared Mr Griffith’s concerns in relation to the damage caused to his property over the last five years. Mr Griffith stated that he intended to sue the Council for professional negligence due to its failure to adequately manage and maintain its drainage gullies on the public highway in front of Mr Griffith’s property. Mr Griffith requested that the Council respond publicly on this matter and set out the reasons for the delay in reaching a resolution.

In response Councillor Mark Goldsmith, Chair of the Highways and Transport Committee, acknowledged the distress and inconvenience that surface water run-off and damp/mould caused residents and recognised the seriousness of the matters raised. Councillor Goldsmith stated that upon receipt of Mr Griffith’s enquiry in July 2025, an officer attended the site and raised a job to undertake high-pressure water jettingof the footway gully, together with CCTV surveys where practicable. This work was programmed to be carried out during the week commencing 9 March 2026. Councillor Goldsmith acknowledged that the scheduled date for the works had not previously been communicated to Mr Griffith and apologised on behalf of the Council and provided assurance that this matter had not been overlooked and in the interim, a gully cleansing visit had been arranged at the location.  Councillor Goldsmith confirmed that, ahead of the programmed works in March, the Council would write to residents to advise of the intention to carry out the works and to request that vehicles were not parked in the affected area. In addition, ‘no waiting’ cones would be placed to discourage non?resident parking; these would be deployed the day before works were due to commence.

Mr Steve Buckley spoke in relation to the lack of a 5-year housing land supply and the impact this had on residents and planners. Mr Buckley shared his concerns around planning decisions being approved, which he felt lacked due diligence and exposed the Council to serious legal challenge. Mr Buckley asked that the Council reverse the Bradwall Road approval from 28 January 2026. Mr Buckley urged Members to ensure that there were no more unplanned and speculative planning application approvals and to declare a 5-year housing land supply.

In response Councillor David Jefferay, Chair of the Environment and Communities Committee stated that there was no loophole from which the Council could change its position in respect of the current five-year housing land supply. Prior to recent years there had been periods of significant under–delivery of housing in Cheshire East against Local Plan targets. Work on the Local Plan had commenced but had been delayed pending Government legislation and guidance.  A call for sites was only a small part of the overall process to evidence what the future Plan would look like.  A further call for sites had been announced which would be used to understand the current availability of sites since the change to the NPPF in 2024 as the Council now pushed on with delivery of a new Local Plan.Council officers and Planning Committees would continue to scrutinise every application to ensure that it accorded with all other relevant polices.

The Chair of Adlington Parish Council, Councillor Simon Gleave, spoke in relation to the Adlington New Town proposals.  Councillor Gleave stated that Adlington was a historic village and was not opposed to development, but that any development needed to be sustainable and in the right place. Councillor Gleave set out concerns relating to the proposals for Adlington and how these would erase the character of the village. He urged the Council to stand alongside its local communities and Tim Roca MP to have Adlington removed from the Government’s list of new towns.

Mr Peter Emery spoke in relation to the Adlington New Town proposals and stated that Adlington was the poorest performing New Town based on the Government’s Task Force criteria and that there were many more suitable alternative sites to provide housing and economic growth. Local councils and residents had spent significant time and resource fighting the proposals. Mr Emery requested that Members meet with Government Ministers and Tim Roca MP to continue to press the case against Adlington.

Ms Sarah Burrows spoke in relation to the Adlington New Town proposals. Ms Burrows referred to the letter sent by the Leader and Deputy Leader in June 2025 to the New Towns Task Force. Ms Burrows spoke in relation to issues of authority, governance, transparency and democratic accountability arising from the letter and trust in the Council’s leadership. She asked if the Leader and Deputy Leader had personally seen and approved the final version of the letter before it was sent, if they had physically signed the letter or if the letter had been sent without mandate.

Mr Kasmin Leon spoke in relation to the Notice of Motion – No Confidence in the Leader and Deputy Leader, and stated the lack of public confidence in the Council leadership as a result of the letter sent in June 2025 regarding Adlington New Town proposals. Mr Leon highlighted the impact on families, residents and farmers and stated that the letter sent from the Leader and Deputy Leader had received no input from residents who were now battling to save the greenbelt. Mr Leon urged Members to act in the interests of local people and seek leadership that would act in an open and transparent manner.

In response Councillor Michael Gorman, Deputy Leader of the Council, thanked the public speakers for attending and speaking. Councillor Gorman confirmed that he would provide a full statement, which would provide further information in relation to issues raised, later in the meeting.