I'll admit I've become obsessed with checking the progress of the petition, and I'm so overjoyed with the reach it has had and the number of people who are signing up to support our cause.
To support this petition further, we have a call for help. We need people in Cheshire East and the neighbouring councils to comment on the two planning objections if they are able, in support of the site being reverted to farmland. Links to these are below:
https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6015742
https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6015490
The first stage of opposing this development is ensuring that the Planning Inspectorate force Tatton Estates / Millington Trust and Scottish Power to remove all infrastructure from the temporary compound site in the North East corner of the farm, to restore the site back to farmland thus preserving the green belt.
Cheshire East issued them with an enforcement notice to revert the site, but the developers have appealed separately, against the enforcement notice. If you wish to continue supporting the protection of Spode Green Farm, you now have an opportunity to submit your own comments to the Planning Inspectorate.
The key information here for the appeal, is the creation of a compound was granted on a temporary basis. The need for that compound is no more, and so Cheshire East have tried to enforce its removal. If the site is not reverted back to farmland, we risk this strengthening the case for the formal planning application for the data centre later in the year. If we can get the Planning Inspectorate to agree this site should remain farmland and greenbelt, it could really help our arguments.
If anyone would like any help with commenting on the applications, please email spodegreenactiongroup@outlook.com and we can provide key points and even templates for objections if people wish. Comments on the first link must be made by 28th October (tomorrow), and on the second by 6th November. The same comments can be used in each appeal.
When looking at the list of signatories today, I'm truly amazed with how far this petition has spread. We've reached every corner of the UK, and we've even made it to 9 countries in Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Taiwan!! How crazy is this?!
On behalf of the Spode Green Action Group thank you to everyone who is supporting us. For those of you who continue to donate to promote the petition across change.org, thank you.
Please continue to spread the word.
Let's show our decision makers that this is not what the people want.
This is not NIMBY-ism.
This is holding decision makers accountable for allowing planning permission to be granted in the right ways, in the right spaces.