More than 500 people sign local plan petition (From Knutsford Guardian)

More than 500 people sign local plan petition

8:40pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News

A KNUTSFORD community group has handed over its reply to the borough council in response to the recent local plan consultation.

Emma Chaplin, a member of the North Knutsford Community group, handed over the group’s views to the Cheshire East Local Plan consultation, in person and on behalf of its 525 supporters, who were listed in an accompanying petition.

Louise Sentance, one of the many active group members, said: “We require the proposed new development for north west Knutsford to take into full account the needs of Knutsfordians.

“We stand for a Knutsford that has been designed in conjunction with and for the benefit of Knutsfordians.

“As stated in the National Planning Policy Framework, we insist that the local plan improves the conditions in which Knutsfordians live, work, travel and take leisure.”

The North Knutsford community group has worked over the past few weeks engaging with the residents, Knutsford Town Council, Cheshire East Council and landowners through this process.

The group supports a measured level of development and requests that subsequent phases of planning tackle a number of critical pre-requisites, and is asking for significant investment in Knutsford’s already overstretched infrastructure, citing that ‘its primary schools are full and its roads are often over capacity’.

The group also welcomed the recent assurances of Clr Jones, at last week’s Knutsford Town Strategy meeting, that the size of development across all of Knutsford would not amount to more than 400 houses.