Alsager can't cope with 700 homes on White Moss Quarry site
FAMILIES fear hundreds of new homes on the outskirts of their town will impact heavily on the area's roads, GP surgeries and schools.
Plans are being drawn up for around 700 houses on the White Moss Quarry site, on the border between Alsager and Haslington.
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SITE: White Moss Quarry in 2008.
Although the scheme lies outside the boundaries of Alsager, future homeowners will rely on the town for its local services.
Cheshire East Council is drawing up its local development plan and believes 1,000 houses can be built within Alsager's boundaries by 2030.
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But campaigners are angry that the 1,000 homes total does not include the 700 properties planned for the quarry site.
Now Alsager Town Council has this week lodged concerns over the housing plans for the White Moss land.
The owner of the quarry has yet to submit a formal planning application for the housing scheme.
Alsager Residents' Action Group vice-chairman Rafe Wakelin, of Dunnocksfold Road, Alsager, said: "We haven't seen any detailed plans for White Moss Quarry and so we can't comment on them.
"But 700 new homes will obviously put pressure on Alsager's services.
"You can imagine how it will affect the roads, how it will affect residents' ability to get a doctor's appointment, and the impact it will have on schools.
"Nobody knew about these proposals when we were considering the local plan for Alsager. We would not have accepted having 1,000 new homes in Alsager if we knew that there would be an additional 700 homes right on the boundary.
"We are pleased the town council has agreed unanimously to make an amendment to its response to the local plan strategy."
Action group members are also concerned about plans to build thousands of houses at Barthomley, and proposals for up to 500 homes on the mothballed Manchester Metropolitan University site in Alsager. Town councillor Bill Howell believes Alsager residents have every right to be worried about the various developments.
He said: "There is some dissatisfaction from residents over the quarry at the moment, because of dust and noise, and so a redevelopment of the site would be welcome.
"But a proposal for 700 homes would not be the best alternative.
"Alsager has lost lots of employment in recent years, and so there is the feeling that we are becoming a dormitory town. Taking all the plans together, we're looking at around 2,000 homes in Alsager or on its outskirts, the majority of which will be built a lot sooner than 2030. This is a lot more than the target figure of 1,000."
The latest phase of consultation on the local plan ended on Tuesday.
Comments
by meyanaryewth
Friday, March 01 2013, 6:44PM
“"Although the scheme lies outside the boundaries of Alsager, future homeowners will rely on the town for its local services."
i would think it would be benificial to Alsager with the possibilty of more shops and services moving in because as it is its a town on its uppers..........!!”