Local plan scoping consultation

Objection Reference: Proposed Land Allocations at Ashley, Cheshire East
Grounds for Objection: Inappropriate Green Belt Development, Highways & Sustainable Transit Deficits, Landscape/Buffer Loss, and Ecological Impact.
1. Unsustainable Location & Public Transport Deficits (NPPF Chapter 9)
Ashley Station Limitations: Ashley train station operates on limited rural service frequencies with single/short platform lengths, minimal parking, and zero step-free accessibility across tracks. It lacks the service capacity, platform infrastructure, and frequency needed to support high-density transit-oriented development.
Forced Car Dependency: The absence of comprehensive local services, primary/secondary healthcare, and retail means future residents will be overwhelmingly dependent on private vehicles for daily errands and commuting, directly contradicting national policies aimed at achieving sustainable travel modal shifts.
2. Inadequate Highways Network & Congestion (NPPF Chapter 9)
Rural Road Network: The surrounding lane network (e.g., Ashley Road, Birkin Lane, Back Lane) consists of narrow, unlit rural roads without footways or cycle paths, rendering them incapable of safely absorbing thousands of daily vehicular trips.
Chokepoints & Bridges: Narrow railway bridges and single-lane pinch-points present severe highway safety risks and physical constraints that cannot be mitigated without significant environmental destruction.
Strategic Congestion: Additional trips will funnel directly onto the A538 and M56 (Junction 6), exacerbating existing peak-hour bottlenecking around Hale, Hale Barns, and the airport corridors.
3. Green Belt & Anti-Sprawl Buffer Harm (NPPF Chapter 13)
Five Purposes of Green Belt: Development on this land conflicts directly with the statutory purposes of the Green Belt—specifically preventing the unchecked sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighboring towns from merging into one another.
Strategic Strategic Separation: This site functions as a narrow, critical landscape buffer between Greater Manchester (Hale/Trafford) and rural Cheshire (Knutsford/Mobberley). Developing it leads to significant physical and visual encroachment, erasing Manchester’s essential 'breathing space' and rural countryside gap.
4. Severe Ecological Impacts & Environmental Protection (NPPF Chapter 15)
Cotterill CloughI: The proximity of development threatens Cotterill Clough Site of Special Scientific Interest —one of the finest examples of ancient ravine woodland in Greater Manchester—through air pollution, surface water runoff changes, and increased recreational pressure.
Irreplaceable Habitats: Loss of ancient woodland, mature trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), and established hedgerows cannot be mitigated or compensated for under national policy.
Wildlife Corridors: The site forms an active ecological network for protected species (including badgers, bats, and Great Crested Newts). Severing these agricultural movement corridors permanently damages local biodiversity connectivity.