The proposed new town in Adlington could threaten local wildlife.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust has raised concerns about the plans to create a 'standalone settlement' in Adlington.

The development could result in 14,000 to 20,000 houses being built, putting a 'massive strain' on the wider countryside, in particular the neighbouring rural communities of the Peak District and its fringe including Pott Shrigley, Whitely Green, Prestbury and the small towns of Bollington and Poynton.

A spokesperson for the wildlife conservation charity said: "Cheshire Wildlife Trust is not opposed to house building but it must be done sustainably and in the right place.

"The scale of the proposed new town is not sustainable in this location as the impact on Cheshire's wildlife and the quality of the natural environment will be significant.

"We urge the government to think again about developing at Adlington."

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Adlington Hall (Credit: John Swallow CC 3.0 Unchanged bit.ly/3Xhv139)

According to Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Adlington has areas of ancient woodland, home to species such as the rare lesser spotted woodpecker and unusual woodland flowers such as woodruff and wood speedwell.

The countryside in Adlington is recognised for its ancient field system with small irregular shaped pastures enclosed by tall hedges. There are numerous ponds, old orchards and the area is notable for its farmland birds such as lapwing.

To the east of the parish are the foothills of the Peak District with Local Wildlife Sites such as Macclesfield Canal and Styperson Park, which hosts one of the finest areas of bluebells in the whole county.

Meanwhile, the historic Adlington Hall estate dates back to the thirteenth century and has over 40 hectares of Wood Park and Pasture Priority Habitat.

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Styperson Park (Credit: Tracy Mills)

A new Local Nature Recovery Strategy will be published in the coming months with ambitious targets for nature's recovery.

However, at the same time it will highlight that the Cheshire and Warrington region is probably one of the most nature-depleted areas in the UK.

It will also highlight that development accounts for approximately 40% of the total habitat loss seen since the 1980s.

The Cheshire Wildlife Trust spokesperson added: "As a region we have failed to look after our natural assets and instead of building around nature we have built over it.

"It is very concerning that changes to planning policy put forward by the government are likely to make it even easier for environmentally damaging developments such as this new town to go ahead."