SIR NICHOLAS Winterton wants councillors to "throw out" the new town centre plans, fearing they will destroy Macclesfield’s heritage and tradition.

The outspoken Macclesfield MP claims he was "shocked" by the final town centre redevelopment plans revealed a fortnight ago in the Express, and accused developers of creating a scheme "totally divorced" from the Silk Town he knows and loves.

"This isn’t right for Macclesfield," said Sir Nicholas, who is back in his constituency for festive season. "The trouble is that these people (Wilson Bowden Developments) are outsiders and don’t understand Macclesfield.

"They have put forward a proposal that might be functional, but in no way reflects our heritage, which is a crying shame."

He acknowledged that WBD could sell up and walk away if granted planning permission in March.

"Outline planning permission makes the site eminently sellable," he said.

"Are they, in fact, serious about this development? If they were, I think they should have come up with a more sensitive scheme. The current one is outdated. It is straight from the utilitarian 1960s."

Sir Nicholas was also scathing of the design, condemning what he said was an over-fondness for flat-roofed buildings of glass, brick and concrete.

"Yes, we do need additional town housing in the centre, but the image in your newspaper of the town square is not Macclesfield," he said.

"It could be Stockport or any town, small or large, in the country. Macclesfield is better than that. It deserves better and it deserves more thought.

"I would expect to see this in Peterborough or Milton Keynes, but not Macclesfield.

"The huge attraction of Mill Street and Chestergate is that all the buildings are of very different elevations and styles. It makes it a much more intimate area to shop.

"I am also most unhappy that it will completely destroy Dukes Court, which is a lovely feature of the town and somewhere I have enjoyed visiting myself – it has a boutique atmosphere, which reflects what the town is about.

"The community hall is also in the wrong place. The elderly and retired merit better attention than having it shoved in some subterranean whatever it is, under a car park."

He also slammed the scheme’s solution for dealing with the expected extra traffic as "an absolute disgrace".

"Everything is going to go into a huge 1,200 space car park coming out in three lanes onto a single lane road."

He said the "vision" appeared "totally divorced" from the environment, aesthetics, heritage and tradition of Macclesfield.

And he believes many Maxonians share his view.

"Views expressed to me are similar to those that have appeared in letters in the Express. People don’t like it."

The scheme is due to be considered by Macclesfield Borough Council’s planning committee in March 2009.