Astbury and Moreton have expressed intent to undertake the preparation of a neighbourhood plan and have submitted a valid application to formally designate the Parishes of Astbury and Moreton as a neighbourhood area. Within the neighbourhood area lies an extent of land of strategic importance to the delivery of the Congleton Link Road.
The emerging Cheshire East Local Plan establishes the delivery of the Congleton Link Road and associated employment and residential sites as a strategic priority within a supportive policy framework. The land required to deliver the road is of such high strategic importance that the land identified in appendixes 3 and 4 of the report is considered necessary and therefore needs to be excluded from the neighbourhood area application. Exclusion will ensure it remains subject to the emerging policy framework of the Cheshire East Local Plan and outside the potential influence of future policies established under a neighbourhood plan (which, once adopted, holds equal weight to the Local Plan for decision making purposes).
Existing legislation does not place a limit on the number of neighbourhood areas a relevant body can submit to the authority for consideration; the Authority can also reconsider the extent of existing designations. Therefore it should be noted that there are mechanisms through which the excluded land may be designated as part of the Astbury and Moreton Neighbourhood Area in the future.
The designation of Newbold Astbury and Moreton Parishes as a single neighbourhood area (as identified in appendixes 3 and 4) will enable Newbold Astbury Parish Council and Moreton cum Alcumlow Parish Council to prepare a joint neighbourhood plan for this area.
Decision type: Non-key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved