I was a Conservative councillor on the Macclesfield Borough Council for 30 years and was involved with the first district plan.

The main aspect was accommodating the allocation of housing needs in the Knutsford area. This was set at 500 houses for the next 10 years 1980-1990.

The land earmarked, was the land south of Longridge Estate which had been purchased for the Manchester overspill re-housing.

This land had been taken out of green belt. It was a natural site, as the land to the east of Knutsford, which includes the Parkgate Industrial area, is a lower grade for agricultural classification.

All the councillors in the Knutsford area, irrespective of political persuasion, discussed the future of the welfare of the Knutsford district and its future in the green belt.

We discovered there were brown field sites which fulfilled the purpose. There are still sites available. People I am in contact with respect this view, but this will not be the outcome if the present proposals materialise with the direction by the government for the growth in the economy.

This includes a vast house building programme on green field sites, not only for the near future, but safeguarded land up to 2030.

The land south of Longridge has not been farmed since the Longridge Development. I feel Knutsford would be better served with the development in that area, with the brown field site at Ilfords, Mobberley near to it.

It would be a wonderful solution if the owners of the Park Gate sites and other owners could fund the crossing of the railway.

I am in favour of the recent house building by Peak to Plains providing homes in the green belt, but this is satisfying a need not speculative building for growth, which will leave the brown field sites derelict.

G W Wright Mere