Macclesfield could be a step closer to gaining more control over planning proposals after grants were made available for communities to create Neighbourhood Plans.
Cheshire East Council is inviting towns and parishes to apply for up to £7,000 to fund work needed to draw up their plans, which set out how areas should develop and carry legal weight in any future planning decisions.
In some cases, the High Court has recognised the importance of Neighbourhood Plans and overturned planning appeals in favour of residents.
The leader of the council Coun Michael Jones has previously committed to working with Macclesfield’s new elected town council to draw up a neighbourhood plan, and the town’s Labour group have also called for one.
But to be eligible, local councils’ plans must complement Cheshire East’s Corporate and Local Plans, it says.
Once community groups and local organisations have published a Neighbourhood Plan, there a six-week public consultation will be held before it is formally adopted.
For more information see the council’s website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk .
