We are seeking your views on the what the new local plan for Cheshire East should contain. The local plan scoping consultation is open until 5pm on 1 September.
Minerals and waste sites
Between April and July 2024, and February and March 2026, we invited landowners, waste operators, mineral operators and other parties to put forwards waste sites and mineral sites/areas that they consider are suitable and available for future development. The council will use this information to help inform any land allocations in the new local plan.
Prior to that, the council consulted on a draft minerals and waste plan in late 2022 and provided an opportunity for new waste sites and mineral sites/areas to be put forward as part of an accompanying call for sites exercise at that time. There was also a previous minerals call for sites exercise in 2017.
In addition to any new sites/areas submitted in 2026, the council will also consider any sites previously submitted under the 2022 and 2024 waste call for sites exercises, and any sites/areas previously submitted under the 2017, 2022 and 2024 minerals call for sites exercises, provided the original proposers have confirmed to us that the sites areas remain relevant and identical to those submitted previously.
If any further changes have been proposed since the 2017 and 2022 and 2024 call for sites exercises, then the 2026 exercise was also an opportunity to provide either updated details or (where circumstances have changed) to withdraw the sites/areas (in part or whole) as necessary. Previous call for sites submissions will be disregarded if there has been no confirmation that the landowner/proposer wishes to continue with a past submitted proposal, as the council is required to show for ‘soundness’ reasons that the site is available and developable during the plan period. Where such confirmation has been given, the onus is on the landowner/proposer to ensure that any technical data to support the proposal (including that previously submitted) is as up to date as possible.
We are currently cataloguing and mapping the waste sites submitted between 2022 and 2026, and the mineral sites/areas submitted between 2017 and 2026. The submitted minerals and waste sites will not be displayed on the council’s consultation portal for viewing, but sites may be included in future public consultation exercises and published so cannot be treated confidentially.