A PLAYING field could be sold to developers to create access for a new 250-home estate near Longridge.

As reported by the Guardian earlier this month, resident Debbie Jamison has lobbied councillors since discovering Cheshire East Council’s intentions to sell the land, to the east of Longridge from its junction for St John's Primary School down to Birch Grove.

Following a meeting between CEC representatives, Knutsford Town Council ward members and neighbourhood plan resident leads, it was confirmed that an access road would be built on the land.

At a separate town council meeting on Monday evening, councillors unanimously agreed to wait until further information was available to make a comment, ahead of the sale being discussed by CEC cabinet members in October at the earliest.

Cllr Tony Dean, a CEC ward member, said: “The piece of land is the piece which everyone expected it to be. It’s currently public open space and was designated as such a long time ago.

“What is being suggested is that they have looked to sell all of that piece of land. The developers want to put in access of a small curved road.

“We have asked CEC to look into selling a tiny corner bit and keep 95 per cent of the land.”

The development land, known as designated site CS50 in the CEC local plan, is constricted by a covenant along the eastern boundary.

Developers are seeking to build an access road to the south of the site – across the playing fields – so that the covenant becomes all but redundant in halting development. As Cllr Dean explained, ‘once you have value elsewhere, the value of the covenant disappears’.

A risk of developers owning the land is that there is nothing to stop them from developing further either side of the access road.

Town mayor Cllr Neil Forbes suggested that a decision was put on hold until the next town council meeting in September, before which point a report could be put together with more information to consider.

Cllr Andrew Malloy said: “I have heard sufficient evidence that we should be saying to CEC in reasonably strong terms but ahead of more information that we object to this sale in any way.

“That land is there as open space for residents and it should be maintained in that status. We can revisit at the next meeting but I would compel us to push that point.”

Following a discussion regarding the wiggle room available ahead of the cabinet meeting in October, it was agreed to hold back on an official response.

In the meantime, ward members Cllrs Dean, Stewart Gardiner and Hayley Wells-Bradshaw will meet with the relevant CEC portfolio holder and also the council leader, Cllr Rachel Bailey, to discuss the matter.

Cllr Dean said: “The three CEC members will speak to the portfolio holder about why the people of Knutsford feel the way they do. The developers also know the position.”

Despite this assurance, members of the public present were left disappointed by the council’s decision not to ‘put a stake in the ground’ to save the allocated football pitch.