Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 3770

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The Local Plan should direct growth towards genuinely sustainable locations with appropriate infrastructure, services and public transport. Development should be proportionate to the role, character and capacity of individual settlements, particularly rural villages. Site availability alone should not determine the location of growth. The Plan should give appropriate weight to Green Belt purposes, landscape and settlement character, residential amenity, environmental constraints, infrastructure capacity and accessibility when establishing its spatial strategy and selecting sites for development.

Comment

Representation ID: 3771

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The site assessment methodology should specifically consider known constraints and relevant planning appeal decisions. Land north of Town Lane, Mobberley should be assessed having regard to Appeal APP/R0660/W/15/3027388 concerning nearby land at Town Lane/Ilford Way. That appeal for substantial residential development was dismissed, with aircraft noise and unacceptable living conditions for future residents being determinative. The Inspector found that acceptable external amenity could not be achieved despite mitigation. Given the proximity and similar relationship to Manchester Airport flight paths, current aircraft noise evidence should be obtained and assessed before this site is considered suitable for residential allocation.

Comment

Representation ID: 3775

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

Any proposed Green Belt release should follow a transparent, site-specific assessment against all relevant Green Belt purposes and the NPPF definition of grey belt. In particular, Land north of Town Lane, Mobberley should not be assumed to constitute grey belt merely because it has been promoted for development. Its contribution to Green Belt purposes, settlement form and countryside character should be robustly assessed. Before considering its release, the Council should demonstrate that reasonable alternatives have been examined and that brownfield, underused and more sustainable sites have been appropriately prioritised in accordance with the NPPF.

Comment

Representation ID: 3778

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The review of the settlement hierarchy should assess the actual capacity of individual settlements to accommodate growth, rather than assuming that all Local Service Centres can sustainably support similar levels of development. In Mobberley, particular consideration should be given to the range and capacity of local services, employment opportunities, public transport accessibility, reliance on private cars, infrastructure and the village's dispersed settlement form and rural character. The resulting hierarchy should distinguish between access to basic services and genuine capacity to accommodate substantial housing growth, with the scale of development proportionate to the evidence for each settlement.

Comment

Representation ID: 3779

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The spatial distribution of growth should be evidence-led and reflect the differing capacity of settlements, rather than applying housing numbers mechanically across the settlement hierarchy. For rural settlements such as Mobberley, the Council should consider public transport accessibility, reliance on private cars, infrastructure and service capacity, landscape and heritage sensitivity, Green Belt constraints and settlement character. Large edge-of-settlement allocations should only be considered where evidence demonstrates that they represent a more sustainable option than brownfield land, development within existing settlements, or growth in locations with better access to employment, services and sustainable transport.

Comment

Representation ID: 3783

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The Local Plan should actively pursue a diverse supply of small and medium-sized sites, including suitable brownfield and infill opportunities. A dispersed approach can support housing delivery while reducing reliance on large peripheral greenfield or Green Belt allocations and allowing growth to reflect the individual capacity of settlements. In rural communities, smaller sites should be selected where they genuinely support existing services and can be sustainably accommodated, rather than treating the requirement for rural growth as justification for disproportionately large extensions to individual villages.

Comment

Representation ID: 3786

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

Site selection should demonstrate that proposed growth can be sustainably accommodated by existing or deliverable infrastructure. For Mobberley, this should include assessment of highway capacity, public transport frequency and accessibility, walking and cycling connections, utilities, healthcare, education and community facilities. Large housing allocations should not be considered sustainable merely because infrastructure improvements might subsequently be secured through development. The Infrastructure Delivery Plan and transport evidence should demonstrate how additional growth can be accommodated, including cumulative impacts from multiple sites, before major allocations are selected.

Comment

Representation ID: 3788

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

The Local Plan should ensure that potential allocations are subject to robust landscape and ecological assessment before being selected. Around rural settlements such as Mobberley, assessment should consider landscape character, established field patterns, hedgerows and trees, habitats and ecological connectivity, as well as the cumulative effect of development on the rural setting of the village. For large greenfield sites such as Land north of Town Lane, these matters should inform whether the site is suitable for allocation from the outset, rather than being treated solely as detailed mitigation matters after allocation.

Comment

Representation ID: 3790

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

Aircraft noise should be a specific consideration when assessing potential residential allocations around Mobberley. Land north of Town Lane should be subject to robust, current noise assessment before being considered suitable for housing, particularly given Appeal APP/R0660/W/15/3027388, where unacceptable external residential amenity from aircraft noise was a determining issue. The Local Plan should ensure that new homes provide acceptable internal and external living conditions without relying predominantly on closed windows or mechanical mitigation. This would reflect the NPPF requirement that new development is appropriate for its location and avoids unacceptable noise impacts.

Comment

Representation ID: 3792

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mrs Keri Brookes

Active travel should be an important consideration in selecting housing sites, not simply a design requirement applied after allocation. For potential major development at Mobberley, including Land north of Town Lane, the Council should assess whether residents could realistically walk or cycle safely and conveniently to everyday services, schools, public transport and employment opportunities. Sites where their location, distance from facilities or existing highway environment would result in substantial reliance on private cars should score less favourably when compared with sites offering genuinely sustainable transport choices.