Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 3294

Received: 30/08/2026

Respondent: Professor Robert Campbell

I strongly object to the proposed 291-hectare development across 12 contiguous parcels at
Ashley. This is high-performing Green Belt, not Grey Belt: it prevents urban sprawl, maintains
the vital countryside gap between Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and safeguards productive farmland. Ashley is a settlement with limited services, no bus network and
only limited rail; every approach crosses narrow, constrained bridges. A development of this
scale is fundamentally unsustainable and would cause severe traffic, infrastructure
pressures, while damaging protected landscapes, wildlife habitats and the settings of numerous
listed buildings. The Council should retain Green Belt protection and reject this site entirely.