The leader of Stockport council has criticised huge plans for a new 20,000-home town on Greater Manchester's boarder – describing it as 'someone in Westminster throwing a dart at a map'.

The New Towns Taskforce was set up by the government to find areas suitable for building new homes at scale, aimed at making a 'significant contribution to meeting housing demand in England.'

One of the sites earmarked for huge expansion is the village of Adlington in Cheshire East, located just a few miles away from the boundary with Stockport.

The proposal was submitted by landowners Belport Adlington Limited, to create a standalone new town of between 14,000 to 20,000 homes on around 970 hectares of greenfield land.

But concerns are growing that thousands of future residents in the new Cheshire town could end up commuting through Stockport to the town centre or towards Manchester city centre, and using local services in the borough.

There are concerns that Adlington residents could end up commuting through Stockport (Image - Nub News)

Mark Roberts, leader of Stockport council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport town hall, said the impact the new town could have on existing communities has been ignored by the government.

"This seems like another example of the Labour government recklessly bulldozing over the greenbelt to meet its unrealistic housing targets," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Their targets aren't feasible, they are frantically announcing building as much as they can, wherever they can, and are ignoring local peoples wishes in the process.

"Someone in a boardroom in Westminster throwing a dart at a map to see which bit of Cheshire green belt it lands on isn't good governance and will be deeply unpopular with local residents.

"This could put massive strain on our local services if it goes through, as I'm sure many more people will be commuting to Stockport and beyond, using our roads and public transport.

"Labour have proven time and time again that they have no interest in what local people want for the future of their own areas.

"In Stockport, we have already been directed by the government and forced to comply with their agenda and their developers' charter to concrete over the green belt.

"We believe in building the right homes in the right places while Labour seem happy to build anything everywhere."

Cllr Mark Roberts, leader of Stockport Council, said the council's aim was to build 'the right homes in the right places' (Image - Stockport Council)

Cheadle's Lib Dem MP Tom Morrison added: "This announcement has come completely out of the blue, with no consultation and no detail on how local infrastructure would cope.

"A development of up to 20,000 homes just outside Stockport would put enormous pressure on our already stretched roads, hospitals and particularly public transport, with the Stockport to Stoke line (which Adlington sits on) failing to have a local Sunday service for over a year.

"I've already submitted a series of Parliamentary questions to demand answers from ministers and will keep pushing to ensure that local people are properly consulted before any decisions are made.

"Communities across Stockport and Cheshire deserve transparency, not top-down decisions made in Westminster without listening to those who'll be most affected."

Peter Crossen, a Conservative councillor in Stockport, also shared 'alarm and deep concern' about plans for the new town in Cheshire.

He called for an urgent meeting with Tom Morrison MP and Macclesfield MP Tim Roca, as well as local councillors from Stockport and Cheshire, about the situation.

Cllr Crossen said: "The implications for the communities in the south of Stockport, including Woodford and Bramhall, are vast.

"The impact on local infrastructure, already at breaking point, cannot be overstated.

"Our schools are full. GP surgeries and dental practices are already under immense pressure.

"Our roads and transport links are congested, with little capacity to absorb such a major increase in population and demand."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was approached for comment.

Governmet plans could see up to 20,000 new homes built near Stockport's border (Image - Nik / Unsplash)

Stockport Labour Group defended the government's plans for building new homes.

Labour councillor Rachel Wise, the shadow cabinet member for housing on Stockport council's biggest opposition group, said: "For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream.

"That is why this Labour government is delivering on its promise to get homes built and building the next generation of new towns. This is national renewal in action.

"This Labour government will fight for hard working people, locked out of a secure home for too long by the Conservative government of blockers. We won't sit back and let this happen."

Housing is a huge issue in Stockport where there are more than 9,000 households on the social housing register.

The Lib Dems in charge of running the town hall are putting together a local development plan which will outline the future of housebuilding in the borough.

Last year, Stockport was given higher housebuilding targets by the government, which caused the Lib Dems to postpone a consultation on their draft local plan.

Government housing minister Matthew Pennycook MP recently wrote to the council about progressing with the local plan, setting out a timeline which was very similar to what the town hall was already working towards.

Cllr Wise claimed that the lack of a local plan in place by now could put the green belt under threat in Stockport.

She added: "In failing to deliver a Local Plan the Liberal Democrat administration have left Stockport open to speculative development applications, putting large areas of green belt at risk.

"Until they step up and show that we are going to put the houses we need in the right areas, developers will always have the upper hand."

~

Free from clickbait, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or X