Sustainable Cheshire Forum Themes

Cheshire has a landscape characterised by lowland plains, river valleys, woodlands and mires. The quality of Cheshire's built and natural environments help to create a strong sense of local identity. Between 1985 and 1995 over 1,659 hectares of land was converted to urban use, mainly through the development of housing. There is a large swathe of greenbelt land to the North and East of Cheshire, covering 78,560 hectares.

Cheshire’s 2011 Replacement Structure Plan (1996) sets out the broad policy framework within which policies identify the amount and general location of land for new homes, businesses, shops and leisure facilities as well as the improvement of the transport network and protection of built and natural resources. During the first 5 years of the plan, the level of housebuilding in Cheshire has been high, with 2602 building completions on average each year. In 2000, 49% of new housing development was on brownfield sites.

It is estimated that there is approximately 4,409 hectares of derelict, underused and neglected land across Cheshire occupying around 668 sites. The Forestry Commission and Northwest Development Agency are embarking on a programme of environmental regeneration in the North West and this land will be reclaimed to improve it's environmental quality.

Cheshire enjoys a rich variety of minerals, some of which have been worked in since pre-historic times. Salt was originally worked by the Romans and has since contributed to the local chemical industries in the form of brine, whilst rocksalt from Cheshire is used in the de-icing of the majority of the UK's roads. Cheshire also holds reserves of silica sand, which is found in only a few places in the UK, being used to supply glass-making and foundry industries. In addition, there are deposits of construction sand and gravel, sandstone, gritstone (aggregates) and peat which are worked at thirty sites across the County. Slowly, markets for recycled aggregates are being established, with a view to reducing the amount of waste being disposed of whilst reducing the quantity of new aggregates being extracted.

The afteruse or restoration of mineral workings within Cheshire provides a variety of opportunities for habitat creation, agriculture, forestry and recreation. Mineral voids are also used for waste disposal purposes and salt cavities are increasingly being used for the storage of gas. Increasingly, pressure is being placed to end the planning permissions of mineral operations that are currently dormant but could, if re-commenced, have a significant environmental impact. Established mineral operations that operate under old planning permissions are being reviewed to in an attempt to reduce their future environmental impacts.


Sustainable Cheshire Forum Land

	Cheshire has a landscape characterised by lowland plains, river valleys, woodlands and mires. The quality of Cheshire's built and natural environments help to create a strong sense of local identity. Between 1985 and 1995 over 1,659 hectares of land was converted to urban use, mainly through the development of housing. There is a large swathe of greenbelt land to the North and East of Cheshire, covering 78,560 hectares. Cheshire’s 2011 Replacement Structure Plan (1996) sets out the broad policy framework within which policies identify the amount and general location of land for new homes, businesses, shops and leisure facilities as well as the improvement of the transport network and protection of built and natural resources. During the first 5 years of the plan, the level of housebuilding in Cheshire has been high, with 2602 building completions on average each year. In 2000, 49% of new housing development was on brownfield sites. It is estimated that there is approximately 4,409 hectares of derelict, underused and neglected land across Cheshire occupying around 668 sites. The Forestry Commission and Northwest Development Agency are embarking on a programme of environmental regeneration in the North West and this land will be reclaimed to improve it's environmental quality. Cheshire enjoys a rich variety of minerals, some of which have been worked in since pre-historic times. Salt was originally worked by the Romans and has since contributed to the local chemical industries in the form of brine, whilst rocksalt from Cheshire is used in the de-icing of the majority of the UK's roads. Cheshire also holds reserves of silica sand, which is found in only a few places in the UK, being used to supply glass-making and foundry industries. In addition, there are deposits of construction sand and gravel, sandstone, gritstone (aggregates) and peat which are worked at thirty sites across the County. Slowly, markets for recycled aggregates are being established, with a view to reducing the amount of waste being disposed of whilst reducing the quantity of new aggregates being extracted. The afteruse or restoration of mineral workings within Cheshire provides a variety of opportunities for habitat creation, agriculture, forestry and recreation. Mineral voids are also used for waste disposal purposes and salt cavities are increasingly being used for the storage of gas. Increasingly, pressure is being placed to end the planning permissions of mineral operations that are currently dormant but could, if re-commenced, have a significant environmental impact. Established mineral operations that operate under old planning permissions are being reviewed to in an attempt to reduce their future environmental impacts.