Cheshire East Green Party is totally opposed to Cheshire East Council’s plans for the development of 136 acres of unique and wildlife rich countryside in Macclesfield.
The plans for 950 houses, retail and a new road plough through one of the UK’s most rare and valuable wildlife habitats.
It is utterly irrational for Cheshire East’s leadership to claim they are leading the way on action to tackle climate change when this development puts cash before carbon - ripping the heart out of one of the best carbon sinks we have in Cheshire East.
They are sharpening the axe for what is Cheshire East’s own rainforest - while encouraging people to cut their carbon impact.
It is not just rank hypocrisy - it’s a profound crime against nature and future generations.
It is obvious that big business and developers have Council leader Sam Corcoran on the ropes. This is all about making a quick buck and hang the consequences.
Councillor Corcoran may understand the threats to our future posed by climate chaos. He should know we have to go for a carbon-neutral future and fast.
But the Council seems to feel bound by a contract signed by the previous administration and afraid that if they back out of it, big business could bankrupt the council and lay waste to our public services. It’s a form of financial blackmail.
This is a critical turning point here in Cheshire East. We have to break the cycle of trash and burn.
We call on the Council Leader Sam Corcoran to come clean about the mess he has inherited from his Conservative predecessors.
We call on him to stand up for democracy and the environment against the forces of unaccountable profit-hungry business.
We demand that he and his council colleagues call time on grubby deals delivering nature-trashing development, to stand up for their communities, for nature and for the future.
We call on the council and the developers to reject the past and embrace the alternative vision for the whole site, restoring it to become a community asset, absorbing carbon and providing a beautiful wildlife-rich place for everyone to enjoy.