AN UNPRECEDENTED number of Davenham residents are rallying to prove that they live in a village and not a suburb of Northwich.

The village may be reclassified as a suburb of Northwich in Cheshire West and Chester Council’s (CWAC) local plan, which will go before a hearing this month.

Davenham Parish Council has submitted a document outlining its objections to the move, arguing that it is clearly identifiable as a rural community, that although the village is linked with Leftwich and Kingsmead as an electoral ward housing allocations should not be based on administrative boundaries and that the wrong classification could lead to Davenham facing too much development.

The council’s statement states: “Villages are an important element in the UK historic and social structure and the failure of the draft local plan to recognise this could lead to them being overwhelmed with housing development well beyond the pattern of their historic organic growth rate.”

During work to create a neighbourhood plan, Davenham Parish Council has also had about 300 responses from residents fighting to keep village status.

Clr Andy Duff, parish council chairman, said: “There are 1,200 households in Davenham and nearly a third have responded, which is incredible, it’s an unprecedented response.”

Clr Katie Mattinson, who gave a presentation to villagers about the neighbourhood plan, said: “The overriding response is that people want to live in a rural village.”

She said a number of residents had suggested starting a petition about the issue.

“These are residents who want to get up and do something about it and I feel we should help them to do that,” she said.

The local plan examination hearing starts on June 17 with Northwich on the agenda on June 25.

It will take place at Chester Town Hall, in Northgate Street.