Winsford Neighbourhood Plan

Tibbalds was appointed to lead the process of producing the Neighbourhood Plan in December 2011. The town of Winsford was largely developed in the late 1960s as an ‘overspill’ town for Liverpool and Manchester. With a population of some 30,000 it is one of the major towns in Cheshire. In contrast to many other towns in the area, Winsford has high levels of deprivation.

Winsford has a track-record of very poor levels of engagement with consultation on planning and development proposals. It was essential that the Neighbourhood Plan was based on issues that local people saw as the most important. So we worked hard on a consultation strategy that reached out to local people. The highly visible and approachable event in the the shopping centre was followed up by a series of workshops, targeted group consultations, and ‘piggy-backing’ on events such as the annual Five Ring Circus where our stall with free face painting for children proved immensely popular! Engagement was significantly improved as a result.

The Plan sets out policies in relation to key regeneration themes, including: housing allocations for around 3,300 new homes, allocating 35 ha of employment land, improving transport and community infrastructure and raising design standards.

The Winsford Neighbourhood Plan was ‘made’ in November 2014. It has subsequently been used in the determination (both approvals and refusals) of a number of significant planning applications.