Shaping Congleton's Future
Congleton Neighbourhood Plan
Congleton Neighbourhood Plan has now moved to Regulation 19 Referendum via Cheshire East.
Please note that this website serves as a reference point for the Regulation 14 consultation conducted by Congleton Town Council.
Congleton Neighbourhood Plan
Referendum 27 August 2026
Residents of Congleton will have the opportunity to vote in the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan Referendum on Thursday 27 August 2026.
The referendum gives eligible voters the chance to decide whether the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan should be used to help guide planning decisions in the local area.
Congleton Town Council is committed to providing impartial information about the referendum, including how and where to vote, key dates, and access to the Neighbourhood Plan and supporting documents. The Council does not promote any particular outcome and encourages all eligible residents to make an informed choice.
Polling stations will be open from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm on Thursday 27 August 2026.
📞 Need help or more info?
You can get in touch with Cheshire East’s Neighbourhood Planning Team on 0300 123 5014 or email neighbourhoods@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
** Please note that this website is being maintained as a reference to the Regulation 14 consultation that many members of our community contributed to. The comments were used to inform the final draft submission for Regulation 16.
Congleton Neighbourhood Plan
The Congleton Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development, regeneration, and conservation of the area. It provides a vision for the town and sets out planning policies to achieve this vision. Developed by the Congleton Town Council, the plan ensures that local residents have a significant say in shaping the future of their community.
Key Features of the Plan
Download the full neighbourhood plan document below or click the links to view the policies in each section.
Strategic Sustainability Policy
Congleton for Everyone Now and in the Future
Development Strategy
Policies 2 to 6 focuses on brownfield land use, support home conversions, protect mill buildings, celebrate Congleton’s markets, and address Timbersbrook Village development.
Town Centre and Retail
Policies 7 through 10 focus on promoting a lively town centre, enhancing tourism and leisure opportunities, and supporting retail and leisure development both within and outside the town centre.
Community Wellbeing
Policies 11 to 17 discuss sustainable transport, active travel, ecological networks, and improved access to health, education, and community facilities.
Landscape and Townscape
Policies 18 to 26 focus on preserving Congleton’s character, heritage, green spaces, landscape, biodiversity, and trees, while guiding residential design and key views.
Key Areas for Improvement
Policies 27 and 28 focus on enhancing the town centre by promoting pop-up uses for flexible commercial spaces and identifying areas for improvement throughout the town.
Foreword
A Neighbourhood Plan for Congleton has been a long time in the making! We are delighted that you are reading the plan and taking part in the Regulation 14 consultation. We believe that the draft plan reflects the views that we have received from local people during its development. We now welcome your views. We promise to consider all comments, and where appropriate will amend the plan before passing to Cheshire East Council for the next stage.
Since work started on the plan, the legal framework around planning has changed. Many of the policies and themes which were strongly advocated for in the early rounds of consultation have now become established within local or national planning policy. We are encouraged not to repeat these policies, however due to the strength of local feeling and wanting developers to be aware how fundamental these are for Congleton, we have included key issues in a way that seeks to complement and strengthen local and national policies. These are around:
- protecting the town’s rich heritage
- enhancing our green spaces
- building in a sustainable manner
- creating accessible and attractive sustainable spaces, places and travel
Developing our plan has been a challenge. The Congleton Neighbourhood Plan can only make policies and aspirations for the plan area, (view map) which is the area administered by Congleton Town Council.
The majority of the thousands of new houses being built in the immediate surrounds of Congleton, which have a direct impact on the working of the town and the demands on its health, education, leisure, retail, green open spaces and employment land, are not within the Neighbourhood Plan area.
Our initial draft Congleton Neighbourhood Plan was withdrawn in May 2019, following an exploratory examination meeting with Cheshire East Council and an independent examiner. More work has since been commissioned across a range of policy areas in order to strengthen the evidence underpinning the neighbourhood plan.
The draft Congleton Neighbourhood Plan presented in this document is for consideration by the community, stakeholders and investors. It is based upon consultation with the local community, local groups and organisations and has been shaped by a team of local volunteers, led by the Town Council. I hope that you find it informative and stimulating and in due time will vote to adopt the plan as way forward to improve Congleton for those living, working and visiting the town.
The consultation closes on 9 December 2024. Please tell us what you think by completing the questionnaire, emailing CongNP@congleton-tc.gov.uk or write to Congleton Neighbourhood Plan, Congleton Town Hall, High Street, Congleton CW12 1BN.
David McGifford
CEO Congleton Town Council
Community Voices
“We believe the policies in this draft Neighbourhood Plan will benefit Congleton, but it is vital that we now engage with as many people as possible. We want to ensure that local people, organisations, and stakeholders agree that this is the right vision for Congleton.”
David McGifford, CEO of Congleton Town Council.
“The Neighbourhood Plan sets out how Congleton residents want our town to be in the future. What developments and improvements do you want to see, and what should we protect and preserve for future generations? This is not the Council’s plan, it is yours, so please get involved, read it, and tell us what you think.”
– Kay Wesley, Congleton Town Mayor.
“Ensuring that Congleton is accessible to all is a priority in the Neighbourhood Plan. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to contribute. Your valuable feedback is essential in shaping an inclusive community for us all.”
– Dr Deborah Lawson, Equal Access Group Chair.
Phone
(01260) 270350
Address
Congleton Town Council, Town Hall, High Street, Congleton, CW12 1BN