THE Cheshire branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, which is based in Middlewich, has hit out at housing development in rural areas.

The organisation which campaigns for the countryside claims Cheshire will cease to be a predominantly rural area or a pleasant place to live if planning policies are not upheld.

In a drive to secure the long-term future of Cheshire, Middlewich CPRE members are urging housing developers to build on the large areas of derelict land in Winsford and Middlewich.

A spokeswoman at the CPRE's base at Victoria Buildings said: "Urban sprawl, urban regeneration, brownfield and derelict land etc are all very much in the public eye and consciousness.

"They are all terms which are used as part of the 'great housing debate' - how many houses? What type of houses? And more crucially where shall they be built?

"This passionate debate about housing development goes to the very heart of land use planning.

"In Cheshire we have a county which is always faced with enormous development demands because it is seen as a pleasant place to live.

"But if Cheshire's remaining rural areas are gradually built upon, tranquility, relaxation, peace and quiet will be words of the past and present pastoral landscapes will be no more.

"Choices have to be made with regard to the long term future of Cheshire."

She explained: "It is with this in mind that CPRE strongly supports planning policies targeted at urban areas ensuring that they are places in which people 'want' to live as well as the use of brownfield and retained derelict sites for development."

She added: "Cheshire has a large amount of derelict land with a big percentage in Vale Royal."

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