20th July 2026

Residents have questioned whether Stockport Council’s planning decisions are consistent with its own published planning guidance after reviewing the authority’s Romiley District Centre study.

The document, which remains available on the council’s website, summarises the findings of stakeholder consultation undertaken as part of the Supporting Context Urban Design (SCUD) study for Romiley.

One statement has attracted particular attention.

Under the section headed “Consultation”, the document records one of the key findings as:

“Tangshutt Fields and Chadkirk Estate should be protected for people and nature.”

The study also highlights Romiley’s defining characteristics as including:

  • green spaces and a leafy green character;
  • open views into the countryside;
  • enhancing recreational facilities;
  • bringing more nature and biodiversity into the district centre.

Residents say these objectives reflect exactly what they value most about the area.

The report goes on to recommend that future development should be sensitive to local character and should enhance existing environmental assets while improving the quality of the town centre.

Although the study identifies opportunities for increased housing density within suitable brownfield and district centre sites, it repeatedly stresses that development should respond to local character, heritage and surrounding green features.

The council notes that the document does not itself grant planning permission or propose specific developments, but is intended to guide future planning decisions.

For campaigners concerned about the future of Padden Brook, Tangshutt Fields and nearby green spaces, the wording has become a focal point of debate.

Residents have asked a straightforward question:

If the council’s own published planning study states that Tangshutt Fields and Chadkirk Estate “should be protected for people and nature”, how is that principle being reflected in planning decisions?

The Romiley District Centre webpage states it was last updated on 8 July 2024, and at the time of writing remains available on Stockport Council’s website.

Local residents are encouraging others to read the study for themselves and draw their own conclusions.