Food security will be under threat if planners and the government continue to allow developers to build on agricultural land, according to some Cheshire East councillors and residents. This concern has been raised repeatedly as housing applications on farmland flood into the borough.
Latest Concerns at Planning Meeting
At a recent strategic planning board meeting, Knutsford councillor Tony Dean voiced his worries while discussing an application for up to 85 homes on 6.39 hectares of agricultural land off London Road in Nantwich. The outline scheme was eventually approved, but Cllr Dean highlighted the loss of high-grade agricultural land as a growing issue.
He stated: “One of the things which is not yet considered to have any planning weight, but I’m sure it will do within the next 20 to 30 years, is the reduction of high-grade agricultural land.” He noted that the Nantwich site is very good agricultural land, and while the area may seem small, the cumulative loss undermines national self-sufficiency.
“People will say, well, that’s tiny compared to all the farming land we have in the country, but the problem is, if you keep nibbling away at it, we’re not even self-sufficient in this country as it is, and we’ll get less and less self-sufficient,” he added. He warned that international disruptions, such as issues in the Strait of Hormuz, could lead to food shortages similar to those in 1939.
Inconsistencies in Planning Policy
Cllr Dean pointed out that in Cheshire East, solar farming and tree planting are not permitted on high-grade agricultural land, yet housing developments are allowed. He argued that the planning system must recognize the importance of preserving farmland.
His comments echo those of Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner, who raised similar concerns about a housing and care home proposal on land off Crewe Road in Sandbach. That application was refused in October last year, partly due to the loss of best and most versatile agricultural land, though the applicant later won an appeal after Cheshire East withdrew objections.
Broader Implications for Food Security
At the original Sandbach meeting, Cllr Gardiner emphasized that the land contributes to national food security, a point he said officials and ministers fail to grasp. In December, objectors to the Adlington new town proposals also highlighted the threat to food security, noting that nearly 2,500 acres of productive farmland would be lost, producing 4.5 million litres of milk, over 3,000 lambs, and 115 tonnes of meat annually.
One resident stated: “The loss of farming communities and the erosion of our national food security will be highly damaging in the long term and once this farmland has gone, it’s gone forever.”
These concerns come as the government considers multiple large-scale developments across Cheshire East, raising questions about the balance between housing needs and preserving agricultural land.
