Site LPS 24: Radway Green Extension, Alsager

The development of Radway Green Extension over the Local Plan Strategy period will be achieved through:

  1. The provision of 25 hectares of employment land.

Site Specific Principles of Development

  1. The provision of green infrastructure, including:
    1. The creation of wildlife habitats, including those for protected species;
    2. The retention, where possible, of important hedgerows and trees that have a cumulative screening impact on development and contribute to the ecological value of the site; and
    3. A substantial landscape buffer along the site boundaries but particularly along the boundaries of the site with the Green Belt.
  2. Improvements to site access, potentially to allow for better access to the Radway Green site as a whole, as well as improvements to existing access and provision of new pedestrian and cycle links to new and existing residential areas and shops.
  3. Contributions to improvements to existing and the provision of new public transport links to Crewe Railway Station, Crewe town centre, Alsager town centre and local villages.
  4. Contributions to M6 junction 16 improvements and the railway level crossing on Radway Green Road.
  5. The delivery of a high quality designed development at this key site in the Green Belt.
  6. The development should provide compensatory habitat for protected and priority species, as required, on the site.
  7. A desk based archaeological assessment shall be carried out to determine if any further evaluation / mitigation will be needed.
  8. The site will be developed only where it can be demonstrated that there is no adverse impact on the Midland Meres and Mosses Phase 2 Ramsar and Oakhanger Moss SSSI particularly in relation to changes in water levels and quality and recreational pressures.  This should include a Habitats Regulations Assessment of the direct and indirect impacts of the development on the features of special interest. Where impacts cannot be avoided, appropriate mitigation measures will be required to ensure no adverse effects on the integrity of sites. 
  9. A minimum of a Phase 1 Preliminary Risk Assessment for contaminated land should be carried out to demonstrate that the site is, or could be made, suitable for use should it be found to be contaminated. Further work, including a site investigation, may be required at a pre-planning stage, depending on the nature of the site.
  10. Appropriate boundary treatments should be implemented to provide a clearly defined Green Belt boundary that is likely to endure.

Justification

15.300 The site is located on the B5078 about 2 kilometres to the south west of Alsager and adjoins the Radway Green Industrial Estate, a mature employment area developed in open countryside around a munitions factory during the post war period.

15.301 The future development of the site is conditional upon contributions to highway infrastructure improvements, notably an upgrading of junction 16 on the M6.

15.302 The incorporation of green infrastructure, notably trees and hedgerows, together with sensitive design in terms of the scale and massing of any new structures, has the potential to mitigate any potential adverse impacts on visual amenity from main public vantage points.

15.303 The provision of new green infrastructure and the improvement of existing green infrastructure are of paramount importance. This will assist in enhancing the environment of the local area and improving the health and wellbeing of employees.

15.304 The principal access to the site will be via the existing Radway Green Road (B5078) where there is the potential to provide a safe access with adequate highway capacity to serve a strategic employment allocation of this scale. The access should also be constructed so as to facilitate access to the wider Radway Green Site.  A new access at this point will avoid conflict with the constrained railway crossing and enhance the attractiveness and efficiency of the site as a whole. Further improvements to the public transport network, together with new pedestrian/cycle links, will enhance the site’s accessibility to Key/Local Service Centres and the principal rail hub at Crewe.

15.305 A total of 380 hectares of employment land is to be provided during the plan period up to 2030 and this has been informed by the Employment Land Review (2012). This site will make a positive contribution to the employment land supply equation.

15.306 An archaeological assessment will be required, to ensure that there will not be an impact on undesignated heritage assets.

15.307 Habitats for protected species, if required, will be provided.

15.308 The strategic importance of Radway Green and its location within the M6 Growth Corridor from Birmingham to Manchester allows it to act as the key linkage between these major hubs and the wider Cheshire economy, and provides the opportunity to retain key existing jobs and promote economic growth and further diversification at the site. This is also supportive of the 'All Change for Crewe; High Growth City'  initiative for the delivery of economic growth along the M6 growth corridor.

15.309 Details of Construction Environment Management Plans, landscaping, green infrastructure and open space proposals should be submitted to the council during any future planning application process on this site as part of sustainable development proposals and their proximity to a European site (consisting of either Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and / or Ramsar sites).

15.310 Boundary treatments should be reinforced so as to ensure a strong long term perimeter to the Green Belt.

15.311 The site has potential for contamination to be present, therefore at least a Phase 1 Preliminary Risk Assessment for contaminated land needs to be carried out to ensure that any contamination that is present is subject to appropriate remediation.

15.312 The council expects that the following are considered in the context of the ecological value of the site due to its proximity to a European site (consisting of either a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, and/or Ramsar site):

15.313 Any development proposal should take into consideration the policy requirements set out in Policy CO 2 'Enabling Business Growth Through Transport Infrastructure', and the need to improve sustainable travel options, particularly in the wider cross border context.

Indicative Site Delivery

Policy information

 

Previous page: Site LPS 23 'Radway Green Brownfield, Alsager'  |  Cheshire East Local Plan policy index  |  Next page: Site LPS 25 'Radway Green North, Alsager'