DETAILS of the Royal London masterplan have been met with concern by the town’s greenbelt campaigners.

Residents of Wilmslow, which has two members on Wilmslow Town Council and one member on Cheshire East Council, is concerned with the ‘over allocation’ of the town’s current greenbelt land in the forthcoming local plan.

And with the Royal London land set to be taken out of Wilmslow’s greenbelt allocation Roger Bagguley, from Residents of Wilmslow, believes the development could have a serious impact on residents’ lives.

He told the Guardian: “This document paints a very rosy picture of how this ‘living campus’ will integrate business, living and leisure with great emphasis upon a green environment.

“But the reality will be somewhat different for those people neighbouring the site.

“It is now time we are all given the level of detail in the planning that will allow people to raise their concerns without being tied into a response template.

“If CEC is set on not reducing the number of sites allocated within the local plan then it needs to consider reducing its vision as to size of developments, and to listen to the people as to what needs to be done to reduce detrimental impacting upon their lives.”

Mr Bagguley added that the Royal London plan doesn’t yet address the need for an additional 1,000-plus secondary school places in the town, or how traffic and parking problems which already exist could be improved.

With the proposed ‘living campus’ set in his Wilmslow East ward, Cllr Rod Menlove also has some concerns with the proposal, but welcomes the opportunities it could bring and urges residents to have their say in the consultation.

“Looking at the documentation, it is clear that the ‘living campus’ proposal is of very high quality,” he told the Guardian.

“It is regrettable that the entire site is removed from greenbelt but there needs to be a balance, with the benefits of open spaces and shared uses, plus the reality of retaining this major employer.

“Even though the site is close to the town centre the potential development will be largely invisible to all but a few local residents.

“I do fail to understand why the national planning system requires housing before the necessary infrastructure of health, schooling, roads and other facilities.

“As the ward councillor I am pressing for a cohesive forward plan to accommodate the necessary services for the projected increased number of residents.”

CEC will now run consultation on the proposal from tomorrow, June 23, until Friday, August 4.

Cllr Ainsley Arnold, CEC cabinet member for housing and planning, believes the framework could boost the town and wants as many residents as possible to have their say during the consultation period.

“Royal London already employs more than 1,200 people at its Wilmslow headquarters and is a key employer in the town,” he said.

“This framework provides the opportunity to bring more and better employment opportunities to the area.

“I strongly encourage east Cheshire residents, not just those in Wilmslow, to get involved in the consultation process and have a say in shaping this discussion.”

Consultation documents are available to view at Wilmslow Library and Alderley Edge Library, while a drop-in event will also take place at Wilmslow Leisure Centre from 2pm to 7pm on Tuesday, July 4, where planning officers will be on hand to answer questions from the public.