Turnpike Field – Editorial Opinion

The Turnpike Field – an AOL Editorial Opinion

Unsurprisingly, AoL has received several chatbox entries about the Planning issue that has arisen with the Turnpike Field project. They vary from being supportive of the PC to being very critical about the PC, and indeed the project as a whole. We have decided to publish these now, with the exception of any which break the overall guidelines of what is acceptable.

This website has been accused many times of being biased in favour of the Parish Council. Once or twice it has been accused of being biased in opposition. So here is the unabashed declaration of the Editorial Team..

As a Community Website AoL endeavours to support Local Businesses, local volunteer groups from ADAS to ASET to Audlem Lass to Audlem Voices etc.

AudlemOnline supports the Parish Council in their efforts to improve the lives of the residents of Audlem in a fair and controlled fashion. It reserves the right to criticise the Parish Council’s decisions and actions where appropriate.

We recognise that the Parish Council is a group of unpaid volunteers who give up their time in a difficult and often thankless task.

The Parish Council took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire Turnpike Field, thereby preventing it falling into the hands of the developers. It has subsequently overseen its use as a recreational open space, a nature reserve, a special events temporary car park and camping space and, eventually, it is expected, it will include a permanent small overflow car park.

Hopefully it will be passed into the remit of the Fields in Trust charity.

Support for the project by a significant majority of village residents has been expressed in a series of polls, on-line and otherwise, throughout the process.

Clearly it would have been better if the Change of Use issue had arisen and been dealt with at the time, but either through misunderstanding or lack of suitable advice, this was not done at the initial phase.

We can only plead that the Cheshire East Planning authority can adopt a sympathetic and sensible attitude to the process now apparently to be gone through so that the various events which have been organised in all good faith by the various organisations in the village can proceed as planned.