Danes Moss is the largest lowland raised bog in Cheshire. It is home to rare wildlife and locks up valuable amounts of carbon in its soil that would otherwise be in the atmosphere. It once extended across 1,000 acres to the south of Macclesfield but now only 300 remain. A third of the remaining land is now threatened by the proposed South Macclesfield Development Area which would devastate nature and hugely compromise what remains of the peatland.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust have continuously opposed the development but, more recently, have challenged the council for offering misleading or unsubstantiated claims that the development will prevent the site from releasing greenhouse gases and worsening the climate crisis.

James Melling from Cheshire Wildlife Trust commented:

“We’ve been doing everything we can to help Cheshire East Council recognise the fundamental misconception that developing the site will not be a climate solution. We have objected at every stage of the planning process, we have met with the Leader of the Council and voiced our concerns, we have written to senior council staff, we’ve even done the Council’s homework and calculated the estimated climate impact of developing this site.”

Cheshire Wildlife Trust are arguing that it is now time for a bold and community lead vision to emerge to prove that the development is both unwanted and demonstrate what true climate action looks like.

James Melling adds:

“It’s clear that local people are unhappy with the current short-sighted plans to develop parts of Danes Moss so any vision we put forward must come from them. The more people that help us build this vision, the stronger our case becomes for making it happen.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the consultation can do so at: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/a-vision-for-danes-moss

All Cheshire Wildlife Trust responses can be viewed at: https://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/save-danes-moss