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Sandbach Town Strategy

This is a really important consultation for the future of Sandbach. It will dictate the location of new housing for the next 10 years and could make or break important improvements. 

Cllr Sam Corcoran said,

"Thank you to all those who completed the consultation on the future of Sandbach. 213 people completed the consultation online. This compares with 139 for Alsager, 69 for Congleton and 50 for Middlewich. I am very pleased to see such a high turnout for Sandbach on a complicated and difficult consultation document. Sandbach is a great place to live and has a vibrant community. I think it is worth working to protect that.

The online consultation responses are available for public view. I have done an informal review which shows that many people share my concerns over the proposed housing on Sandbach Heath and over the idea of grassing over Scotch Common. Improvements to junction 17 are strongly supported – I have already been working with other councillors and council officers to find a reasonable solution to the delays on the M6 slip roads. Any solution will inevitably cause some delays on the A534 and will cost money, so there are still some hurdles to overcome.

The junction 17 business park site proposed at Bb has attracted mixed comment. Some support the creation of new high quality jobs, but there are also many concerns about the loss of greenfields and fears over damage to the wildlife corridor. This is one issue where I will be waiting to see all the results, but clearly if the business park site is to go ahead then there must be strong safeguards for the wildlife corridor.

I look forward to seeing the full analysis of the consultation responses and I can assure residents that I will be making sure that their voices are heard."

 

A Suggested Response from the Sandbach Labour Party 

4. HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT SITES


Area A: Employment

No

Please provide any comments.
Improvements to junction 17 must not be compromised for this site. The site is too small for a decent business park. An access from Congleton Road would act as a Trojan horse encouraging piecemeal development all through Fields Farm and beyond. An expanded car sharer's car park should be included in site Ba close to the motorway.

Area Ba: Employment
Yes

Please provide any comments.
This area is for a world class science and business park with modern office facilities and high speed communication links - this excludes using this land for hotel or pubs. A regular bus route to the train station would make this an ideal location for employment opportunities. The site should be accessed from a roundabout at the end of Congleton Road

Area Bb: Housing
No
Please provide any comments.
700 houses is more than the local infrastructure can bear. Some houses (200?) should be considered, with road access from Heath Road or Hawthorne Drive and pedestrian/cycle links to the new business park, the town centre and St John's school. Allotments/community gardens should be provided as part of any development.

Area C: Employment / Housing
No
Please provide any comments.
This area is suitable for employment, but is a long way from many facilities and is therefore not a sustainable site.
 

 

5. TOWN CENTRE


Area A

No

Please provide any comments.
The site of the old Texaco garage should be developed for sheltered accommodation/bungalows. The idea of grassing over Scotch Common and moving the Commons car park is a waste of resources. More could be made of the green open space by Hawk Street.

Area B
No
Please provide any comments.
Boards describing the Sandbach Crosses (similar to those on Aldi describing ERF) could be put on the walls of the sorting office and the windows could be replaced with a style more in keeping with the Market Square. It is not necessary to relocate the sorting office.

Area C
Yes
Please provide any comments.
We support improvements to Penda Way and St George's Walk with a covered walkway
 

 

7. OTHER COMMENTS

An imaginative proposal for the long term is a NORTHERN BYPASS going from junction 17 past sites E & F and joining the Middlewich Road (or even the Middlewich bypass) to the northwest of Elworth. This would alleviate traffic congestion in Sandbach town centre. Through use of the community levy on new housing on the south side of the new bypass this would fund many community projects including a radical improvement to junction 17, cycle paths joining Sandbach north with Elworth going through the new housing estates, a new primary school and new playgrounds and youth facilities. If there were no roads from the new housing directly into the town centre this would encourage a radically different approach to sustainability & lifestyle, with easy cycle/pedestrian access to the town centre and easy road access to the M6 and north to Middlewich.

Site D is worthy of further consideration. It is the best site for a marina and is a proposed site for allotments/community gardens. It suffers from being a long way from some facilities. If it is to be pursued for housing then accessibility issues should be addressed. 

Sites E & F should not be allowed as they would conflict with the above long term proposal.

Site G is too far from a primary school, it is not a sustainable site and it is outside the settlement zone of Sandbach.

Sites H & I are subject to planning appeals which will be determined before the outcome of this consultation.

 


6. INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES

Do you agree with the Infrastructure Priorities identified in the draft Sandbach Town Strategy?

  • Improvements to Junction 17 of the M6
    • Yes
  • Improvements to the Railway Station
    • Yes
  • Play areas
    • Yes
  • Town Centre public realm
    • Yes
  • Enhanced town centre public transport facilities
    • Yes
  • Youth facilities for day and evening use
    • Yes
  • Provision of a bridge at the crossing point of the Wheelock Trail over the A534
    • Yes
  • Town centre shared surface scheme / pedestrianisation / traffic calming
    • Yes
  • Disabled and mobility impaired access improvements
    • Yes
  • Allotments and community gardens
    • Yes
  • Improvements to cycle routes and footpaths
    • Yes
  • Leisure Centre / Lifestyle Centre development
    • Yes
  • Enhance and protect the Wildlife Corridor
    • Yes
  • Renewable energy projects
    • No
  • Village Green
    • No
  • Park and Ride or shuttle bus
    • No
  • Historic Trail
    • Yes
  • Marina
    • Yes
  • Enhanced open spaces
    • Yes
  • High speed broadband
    • Yes

    Do you consider this infrastructure to be  . . .
  • Improvements to Junction 17 of the M6
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Improvements to the Railway Station
    • Important
  • Play areas
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Town Centre public realm
    • Important
  • Enhanced town centre public transport facilities
    • Desirable (Lowest Priority)
  • Youth facilities for day and evening use
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Provision of a bridge at the crossing point of the Wheelock Trail over the A534
    • Desirable (Lowest Priority)
  • Town centre shared surface scheme / pedestrianisation / traffic calming
    • Important
  • Disabled and mobility impaired access improvements
    • Important
  • Allotments and community gardens
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Improvements to cycle routes and footpaths
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Leisure Centre / Lifestyle Centre development
    • Important
  • Enhance and protect the Wildlife Corridor
    • Essential (Top priority)
  • Renewable energy projects
    • Important
  • Village Green
    • Desirable (Lowest Priority)
  • Park and Ride or shuttle bus
    • Desirable (Lowest Priority)
  • Historic Trail
    • Important
  • Marina
    • Important
  • Enhanced open spaces
    • Important
  • High speed broadband
    • Essential (Top priority)

    1. VISION

    Do you agree with the Vision as set out in the draft Sandbach Town Strategy?

    Yes

    Please provide any comments on the Vision as set out in the draft Sandbach Town Strategy.
    Sandbach is a good place to live. It can be made better by encouraging more cycling and sustainable living. We need more high quality employment, improvements to junction 17 and revitalising the market and town centre.
     

     

    2. OBJECTIVES


    Objective 1: Economy

    Yes

    Please provide any comments.
    We need a high quality science and business park close to junction 17.

    Objective 2: Town Centre
    Yes

    Please provide any comments.
    We want a vibrant town centre and market

    Objective 3: Housing
    Yes
    Please provide any comments.
    Sustainability is critical with schools, shops and other facilities within walking distance. New houses should be south facing with solar panels wherever possible.

    Objective 4: Transport
    Yes
    Please provide any comments.
    Cycle routes within and between towns should be provided

    Objective 5: Community Facilities
    Yes
    .Please provide any comments.
    Youth facilities are desperately needed especially outdoor facilities. Sandbach Town Park is now a good facility although more still needs to be done. Some parks and playgrounds are a disgrace.


    Objective 6: Environment

    Yes
    Please provide any comments.
    We should promote energy efficiency and encourage solar panels.

    The Sandbach Crosses are worthy of a much higher profile.


    3. STRATEGY

    Strategic Theme 1: Economy

    Yes

    Please provide any comments.
    A world class science and business park with improvements to junction 17 is a key priority. Housing should not interfere with this objective. Sandbach should be aspiring to a world class science and business park. Close to the M6 is the best place for this and Sandbach has many attributes that make a world class science park a realistic ambition (e.g. pleasant location, proximity to M6, highly educated workforce, reasonable proximity to universities at Manchester, Liverpool and Keele).

    High speed fibre optic internet connections should come to Sandbach.

    We disagree with relocating the sorting office as a high priority.


    Strategic Theme 2: Town Centre
    Yes
    Please provide any comments.
    The Portas Review sets out a blueprint for Sandbach to follow. Sandbach could be a pathfinder for this new approach.

    Strategic Theme 3: Housing
    Yes
    Please provide any comments. 

    Thinking of successful business parks at Chester and Daresbury, none of them are mixed use sites or with housing accessed through the business park. They are all prestigious offices and laboratories/light industrial.


    Strategic Theme 4: Transport

    Yes

    Please provide any comments.
    Improvements to junction 17 are critical. We should also have better cycle routes within and between towns

    Strategic Theme 5: Community Facilities
    No

    Please provide any comments.
    We do not support grassing over Scotch Common. Sandbach Town Park is an important asset. There is a great need for a skate/BMX park and other outdoor youth facilities.


    Strategic Theme 6: Environment

    Yes
    Please provide any comments.
    The wildlife corridor running along Arclid Brook is a great resource which should be protected and enhanced.