Cheshire Independent Issue 216

3 JULY 2026 Visit our website: www.independentnewspapers.co.uk THE chief executive of Cheshire East Coun- cil has left his role by mutual agreement after an absence of more than six months. Rob Polkinghorne, who was appointed in January 2024, had been “unwell” since the end of last year, the council previously said. The authority said it was “mutually agreed” that Polkinghorne would step down from his role and that he wished to focus on his family and future priorities. “Rob also wishes to place on record his sincere appre- ciation for the dedication, professionalism and con- tinued commitment shown by staff across Cheshire East Council in supporting residents and communities throughout the borough,” a spokesperson added. Cheshire East previ- ously spent £37,736.84 on a “rigorous recruitment and selection process” to appoint Polkinghorne to his role. The authority added it would now begin recruit- ment for an interim chief executive. “In the meantime, the chief executive’s dele- gations and duties will continue to be covered by Helen Charlesworth-May, executive director for adults, health and integra- tion, supported by the cor- porate leadership team,” it said in a statement. CHESHIRE East Council has voted to fight plans for 75 homes in Nantwich at appeal on highways grounds after hear- ing there’s ‘a ticking time bomb’ caused by unplanned, piecemeal developments. Nightingale Land wants to build the homes off Broad Lane – and to bulldoze a bungalow for access. Cheshire East planners had recom- mended the scheme for approval, but the strategic planning board (SPB) deferred the application twice in March – asking for a traffic assessment to iden- tity any cumulative impact. This was because councillors are aware applica- tions for about 700 more homes are in the pipeline. Nightingale Land lodged an appeal for non-determination and the council’s planners urged the SPB to vote theywere ‘minded to approve’ the application, and not to defend the appeal. But ward councillor John Priest (Lab), speaking as a visiting member, was adamant the coun- cil should stand its ground and defend the appeal. Cllr Priest said: “It would appear that pressure is being applied through a very deliberate strategy designed to warn this board of a costs award for unreasona- ble behaviour. “It can never be unreasonable for this board to require that a developer pro- vides accurate real-world data before adding 75 new homes onto a local highways network that Nantwich and Stapeley residents know is already oper- ating at its absolute limit.” THE Sandbach Neighbour- hood Plan Working Group, a group of committed local volunteers, has met weekly for the last year to create a new Neighbourhood Plan to replace the 2022 version. The population of Sandbach has increased significantly and the new Plan needs to take into account the current requirements of residents and the most up-to- date planning rules. The revised 2026 Plan includes site allocations and specifies housing targets, which were not included in the 2022 ver- sion, and also incorporates more robust policies within the context of Sandbach. A comprehensive community and stakeholder communication exercise was undertaken in April to check that the themes, policies and site selection criteria are appropriate. The proposed Plan is nearly ready for the final stage in its preparation so it can then be scrutinised by the Regulator. This requires Sandbach Town Council, as the qualifying body, to undertake formal consultation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan. This includes publicising the plan to bring it to the attention of peo- ple who live, work or carry on business in the Sandbach Parish. The following developments have taken place regarding the proposed draft Neighbour- hood Plan: Sandbach Boundary: There have been boundary changes made since the publication of the 2022 Sandbach Neighbourhood Plan by Cheshire East after con- sultation, so the Sandbach Par- ish boundary and the Sandbach Neighbourhood Area boundary are now the same. The develop- ment known as Albion Lock off the road to Middlewich was for- merly part of Moston but is now in the Sandbach area. In addition, some land that was previously part of Sandbach, off the Crewe Road, but is inside the Haslington Parish is now recognised as such. Designated Local Green Spaces and Site allocations: The new Sandbach Neighbourhood Plan has designated Local Green Spaces and has allocated four sites, including Albion Lock, for which planning permission has already been granted. This should allow Cheshire East to develop a new Local Plan in line with Sandbach’s needs and permit the new Sandbach Neigh- bourhood Plan, together with the Local Plan, to be used effectively. Traffic and Transport Move- ment: The Working Group has also been examining ways to make traffic and transport move- ment better and commissioned four technical reports to help with this. Cheshire East have responded by bringing forward their own planned traffic surveys and micro simulation for Crewe to include Sandbach too. New Sandbach Neighbourhood Plan enters final stage COUNCIL FIGHTS 75-HOME PLAN Council chief steps down 2022 version to be replaced