Local plan scoping consultation

At para 5.94 it is noted the new Local Plan will include policies relating to Manchester Airport.
The Airport has significant economic, social and environmental impacts on Cheshire East, arguably unique in their scale.
Knutsford is close to Manchester Airport. The extended centrelines of its Runways 1 and 2 are directly in line with the town centre.
Uniquely as a Cheshire East KSC, Knutsford is recognised as being affected adversely by aircraft noise. From aircraft overflying the town, noise impacts adversely on people’s health and quality of life. Aircraft noise has been an issue in Development Management consideration of planning applications.
The alignment of the Airport’s two runways and the proximity of Knutsford to the Airport result in aircraft landing from the west flying low over the town centre, where housing density is up to 60 dwellings per hectare.
The new local plan should address the monitoring of impacts of the growth of the Manchester Airport - growth as can be measured in throughput of passengers per annum, currently 32.3 million and with capacity of more than 60 million.
Impacts were identified in the Inspector’s 2022 Report on the Examination of the Cheshire East Site Allocations and Development Policies Document. The Inspector referred to the Airport’s operational area having “a wide range of operational development and uses, which could have significant impacts on the surrounding area and communities, in terms of traffic, noise, air quality, biodiversity, climate change, landscape and visual impacts”.
The Inspector issued a Modification to amend policy wording to ensure it safeguards the operational area for airport operational development and requires the impacts of such development to be appropriately assessed, minimised and mitigated.

Just as data centres and logistics have specific locational impacts, so do solar farms.
It is recommended policies on solar farms should be included in the Local Plan.

The list of heritage assets at para 5.125, although not exhaustive, should usefully include settlements well-known for their heritage, notably Knutsford.
Para 5.126 states: “The new Local Plan will need to balance the conservation and enhancement of the historic environment with the delivery of housing, employment and infrastructure.”
The word “balance” implies different elements being given equal importance, whereas it is more appropriate for the Local Plan needing to weigh the elements cited.
Para 5.127 states: “The Plan is expected to identify and assess both designated and non-designated heritage assets, including their significance, settings, key views and visual relationships, ensuring that development capacity and site allocations reflect heritage sensitivity.”
That should include the identification and assessment of key long-distance views. An example is the view looking south from the north end of Tatton Mere, a SSSI and Ramsar site in Tatton Park.

It is no surprise that "Creating well-designed, sustainable places is a central objective of the planning system" (para 5.131). Good design, especially for new housing, will be important to achieve more public acceptance of the significant additions to the built environment.