REGARDING Cheshire East Council’s recommendation to approve the Lidl development at Summerfields Village Centre.

The Cheshire East Local Strategy Plan was seven years and £3.7 million in the making, finally adopted in July 2017, but the case officer has chosen a ‘saved policy’ from before 1997 as the sole basis for his economic sustainability argument.

This flies in the face of both the local plan and government legislation that calls for a ‘town centre first’ approach to retail development, so protecting both Wilmslow and Handforth town centres from unsustainable developments of this kind.

At the same time, this golden thread of ‘sustainable development’ in the statutes, aims at protecting community assets, in this case a well-patronised swimming pool and fitness centre, from attack.

It is about time that CEC demonstrate that they have the residents as the centre of their attention, and not developers hellbent on destroying their local infrastructure.

It is interesting to note that the extensive development planned at Earl Road, Stanley Green Retail Estate, is seen as a possible threat to the vitality of Macclesfield town centre.

Can you imagine the impact on Wilmslow and Handforth town centres, and local traders, of this ‘go-to’ retail park Lidl store if approved at Summerfields Village Centre? This is a 27,000 sq ft major Lidl supermarket, of which I cannot find larger in the UK.

Richard Armstead Summerfields Residents Association