A CAMPIAGN Group fighting to preserve scenic fields from development said they would ‘fiercely’ oppose a planning application to build hundreds of new houses in Winsford.

Save Rilshaw Action Group have fought a vigorous campaign against the development of land off Rilshaw Lane for 18 months, and also lead calls for the Winsford Neighbourhood Plan process to be reviewed.

Their fight is set to intensify after developer, Gladman, submitted a planning application to build 215 new homes on the 7.2 hectare Rilshaw Meadows site.

Save Rilshaw spokesman, Ted Reilly, said: “Let’s not forget that all of this area has been used as a local amenity by a great deal of Winsford residents for many generations.

“A lot of the local population as children spent many happy hours during school holidays and weekends playing in the woods behind Rilshaw lane and down to the flashes and even now families enjoy walking, cycling, jogging along the lane.”

Save Rilshaw cite adverse impacts of the development on environment and wildlife, as well as the impacts of a large number of extra people and cars on existing infrastructure.

Ted added that Winsford was being used as a ‘dumping ground’ for large scale developments owing to Cheshire West and Chester Council’s reliance on the former Vale Royal Local Plan post-boundary changes.

Though CWAC is working on a new local plan, numerous housing developments opposed by the borough have latterly been given the green light by Goverment because CWAC can’t prove it has the minimum five year housing supply demanded by Whitehall.

“Given this backdrop of CWAC incompetency, speculative planning applications are flooding in, like the Gladman proposal, because they realise the council have no control to exercise,” said Mr Reilly.