87% of 662 responses backed Cheshire East's car meet order, with the A34 at Alderley Edge named most. A decision is due 27 October; watching can still be fined.

Cheshire East’s borough-wide order against car meets and noisy driving has the backing of 87% of the people who responded to the council’s consultation. A decision on whether to make it is due on Tuesday 27 October.

If it is approved, the order would now take effect on 1 December 2026, not 9 November as first proposed. It would last three years. People who watch a car meet could still be fined, not only the drivers.

The figures are in a report to the cabinet member for environment, sustainability and waste management, published on 19 October (report PH/04/26-27). It recommends that the order is made. It is a portfolio holder decision, so it does not go to a committee vote.

What 662 people said

The consultation ran from 16 September to 5pm on 14 October and drew 662 responses (consultation report). 87% agreed the order should be introduced and 12% disagreed.

Support for each restriction was higher still in most cases:

  • street racing: 92% agreed
  • anti-social driving: 91%
  • excessive engine revving: 89%
  • wheel spinning: 89%
  • excessive vehicle noise: 88%
  • vehicle gatherings linked to anti-social behaviour: 86%

Poynton Town Council wrote in to support it.

Alderley Edge and the A34 named most

Respondents were asked where the problem is. Alderley Edge, Nether Alderley and the A34 corridor came up in 249 responses, more than the next three areas put together.

Bar chart of areas named in Cheshire East's car meet consultation: Alderley Edge, Nether Alderley and the A34 in 249 responses, Macclesfield and Bollington 77, Wilmslow 52, Crewe 48
Areas named by respondents. Chart by The Macclesfield Times
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Many respondents described crowds of spectators in Alderley Edge village centre and around the Whitehall Bridge roundabout on the A34. They linked them to people filming and photographing cars for social media. The problems were reported most often at weekends, in the evenings and on bank holidays.

Most responses came from Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and the villages around them. The report says that broadly matches where the complaints are.

Who objected, and why

A minority raised concerns. The report counts them:

  • 44 questioned whether there would be enough police and enforcement staff to make the order a real deterrent
  • 29 questioned whether a borough-wide order was proportionate
  • 27 worried about the effect on legitimate car enthusiasts and motorcyclists
  • 20 called it an inappropriate use of resources
  • 10 raised the effect on younger people interested in cars

One ward councillor, who is not named in the report, questioned the evidence base, the drafting, the role of authorised officers and the cost of enforcement. The councillor asked for the order to be reviewed if it is made.

The respondents skewed older. People aged 55 to 64 gave 25% of the responses and those aged 65 to 74 gave 21%. Those aged 16 to 34 gave 8%.

What changed in the final order

The order put forward for decision differs from the draft we reported in September in two ways we can show.

  • The start date is now 1 December 2026. The draft said 9 November.
  • The spectator clause is reworded. The draft banned anyone who would “participate in, attend or spectate at” a prohibited gathering. The final version says “knowingly participate in, or spectate at”. The word “attend” has gone; watching is still covered.

The final order still names the same four routes: the A34 corridor, the A523 Silk Road in Macclesfield, the A54 Congleton bypass and Jack Mills Way in Crewe. It applies across the whole borough.

It says plainly that lawful car shows, rallies, exhibitions and charity events are not caught, as long as the landowner has authorised them and they do not cause nuisance or distress.

The penalties are unchanged. An officer can issue a fixed penalty notice of up to £100. A magistrates’ court can fine up to £1,000 for unpaid notices or serious or repeated breaches.

Acoustic cameras are not funded yet

The order allows the council to use acoustic cameras to gather evidence. The report says the cameras are part of the wider plan, and the council has carried out “market engagement and exploratory work” (equality impact assessment).

There is no money for them in this decision. The finance section says approving the order “does not, in itself, approve additional expenditure”. Any proposal for acoustic cameras or extra staff needs a separate business case with a confirmed funding source. Enforcement is meant to come from existing neighbourhood services budgets.

What it means for you

  • If you live near the A34 at Alderley Edge, the Silk Road or anywhere else meets gather, the order would give police and authorised council officers a standing power from 1 December, rather than a 48-hour dispersal order each time.
  • If you go to car meets, watching a gathering that causes nuisance would be an offence. So would refusing an officer’s direction to leave.
  • If you run a car show or charity run, get the landowner’s permission in writing. That is what the exemption depends on.
  • Anyone who thinks the council lacked the power to make the order can challenge it in the High Court within six weeks of the date it is made.

We will report the decision once it is published. The Silk Road is also closed overnight on weeknights from 26 October for work on the Waterside viaduct.

Sources