Date: 10th October 2019

What is the referendum for?

· For the last 6 years residents and interested parties have been consulted on to ask them how they would like the Town to be developed over the next 20 years.  From these consultations a Neighbourhood Plan for Poynton has been produced by residents with the  support of the Town Council.

· Based on resident feedback, policies on the Environment, Housing, Transport and Connectivity, Town Centre and Business, Health and Wellbeing have been prepared.

· The Plan has to respect the adopted Cheshire East Local Plan which means that Poynton has to provide a minimum of 650 houses over the plan period.

· Cheshire East have already allocated three strategic sites for Development (Sprink Farm, Chester Road and Hazelbadge Road) in the adopted Local Plan, which will provide around 450 houses over the plan period.

· The Neighbourhood Plan seeks to minimise any further loss of greenbelt from Poynton whilst recognising the requirements of the Local Plan for the remaining housing needs for the Town.

· The Neighbourhood Plan has gone through the statutory consultations and legal processes including being revised by an independent examiner which now means that Cheshire East are holding a referendum to find out if residents support the plan or not.

· All Poynton residents who are registered to vote with Cheshire East will get a polling card.

If more than 50% or residents who vote approve of the plan, developers and planners will need to take the Neighbourhood Plan into consideration when making any planning decisions.

What isn’t it?

· Anything to do with the SADPD (second part of the Cheshire East Local Plan which allocates the smaller sites following the adoption of the Local Plan in 2016) which is currently being consulted on by Cheshire East.

· A polling card to leave Cheshire East.

· Anything whatsoever to do with Brexit!