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Local News 69

More warehouses – of course


With thanks to Alsager Chronicle

Plans have been submitted for the development of 1,020,000 sq ft of new warehousing and industrial floorspace as an extension to the Radway Green Industrial Estate which (they say) could bring up to 1,500 new jobs and represents a potential investment of more than £75m. The site was already identified in the Cheshire East Local Plan (and so the Alsager Neighbourhood Plan) for employment use.


The company (Warehouse REIT, a specialist warehouse investor) suggests that the plans will bring significant additional benefits to the site and surroundings, including significantly improved local footpaths, visual and practical enhancements, more biodiversity by retaining or enhancing natural habitats on the site including ponds, and more than 1km of new planting around the perimeter of the site. Well, we'll see.

Alsager School inspection


With thanks to Alsager Chronicle

Alsager School recently received a so-called Section Eight inspection (for schools previously rated at Outstanding), but evidence collected suggests that the Outstanding rating may be at risk. This means that there will be another inspection (Section Five) within one to two years to establish the correct rating. The school was still seen as good in many areas, but a few faults were identified, mostly concerning Key Stage 3 (younger pupils). The inspectors decided that music and design and technology might be the focus for the next inspection.


Leaders were asked to ensure continued review of the Key Stage 3 curriculum to ensure that all pupils experience an appropriately rich and deep curriculum across a broad range of subjects, and also to design assessments which provided teachers with useful information about what pupils know and remember in the long term.

Alsager clean team


From Facebook

Alsager Community Support wants to make Alsager an even better place to live by creating a Clean Team, and volunteers are now being sought. The inaugural litter pick will take place on Saturday 4 December, 10-12, followed by refreshments at Bank Corner. Meet outside Alsager Community Support Centre and bring your own litter picker, hi viz tabard/jacket and gloves (or borrow from ACS). Bags and hoops will be provided. Under 18s are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent/carer.


Contact: 01270 876605 or info@alsagercommunitysupport.org.uk


Initiative supported by Alsager Partnership and Alsager Town Council.

HS2 and Crewe Hub


With thanks to Alsager Chronicle

Cheshire East has admitted that any future scheme to replace the Crewe Hub area action plan and the Southern Link Road Bridge proposal is unlikely to be as ambitious as the original one. The decision to shelve the plans was taken at the Corporate Policy Committee learned that HS2 trains would not be arriving in Crewe as early as previously believed. Also there is no longer funding for the planned link road bridge near the station, and the commercial development market has changed as a result of the pandemic.


Some councillors are pressing for a refreshed strategy for the area that supports planning decision-making to manage development and support regeneration and growth in the area.

Charter against modern slavery


With thanks to Alsager Chronicle

Cheshire East Council has adopted a charter against modern day slavery and is holding training sessions for recently arrived Afghan refugees warning them of the potential dangers.

Cemetery provision


With thanks to Alsager Nub News

An advisory panel has been set up to look at future cemetery provision across Cheshire East after a councillor branded the existing strategy as 'callous' and 'ludicrous'. Cheshire East reviewed the strategy in 2018 and a long term proposal was that families would have to bury loved ones in Crewe or Macclesfield as other local cemeteries became full.


Cheshire East is responsible for 10 cemeteries across the borough including Congleton, Coppenhall, Crewe (Badger Avenue and Meadow Brook), Macclesfield, Nantwich, Sandbach, Weston and Wilmslow.


At last week's meeting of the environment and communities committee Cllr Joy Bratherton (Crewe East, Lab) criticised the strategy adopted in 2019 saying the matter had been 'looked at from an officer's perspective, but not in the perspective of bereavement'.


"To suggest that Crewe Meadow Brook Cemetery and Macclesfield are the two principal cemeteries is ludicrous. I want us to look at different ways of managing our cemeteries." The Crewe councillor said there were areas of land not utilised as burial sites in some cemeteries. "We need to look closely at how we can develop those particular swathes of land." She said people didn't necessarily always want burials so the land could be 'more vaults, more walls, more whatever, we need to open our eyes and open our hearts to what is needed in this question'.


Sandbach councillor Mike Benson (Con) agreed. "Let's use the opportunity to see what we've got, see how we can enhance the facilities, see how we can provide the things like memorial gardens, land to put the scattered remains, for example," he said. But he added there had to be a time frame, as it was four years since the last assessment had been done relating to cemetery provision.


The committee approved an up-to-date assessment be done of the future demand and capacity for burial within the borough, including identifying options to optimise existing space within cemeteries where there is less than 30 years capacity remaining.


It also agreed to create an advisory panel of councillors to contribute to a report to enable a further review of the cemeteries strategy based on the updated demand and capacity assessment.

Local News – the end?


I have been writing this, almost weekly, for about 18 months, but I am not sure how widely it is read. I will be circulating an email to Alsager U3A members shortly to ask how many people read it regularly, and unless there is a significantly larger response than I expect then next week's Local News 70 will be the last. I hope those of you who do read it have found it useful.

Covid 19 – Alsager cases down again

For the 7 days to 13 November (previous week in brackets):


Alsager East – 12 new cases, down 13, rolling rate 184 (was 384)


Alsager West – 14 new cases, down 2, rolling rate 236 (was 286)


Cheshire East rolling rate is 392 (was 382), England is 385 (was 346)

See map here.


Sarah Anderson

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