Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 4063

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

Site assessment should extend beyond housing numbers and land availability. The methodology must give significant weight to landscape character, ecological value, mature trees and hedgerows, recreational use, tranquillity, environmental quality and settlement separation. Sites that contribute disproportionately to the identity and character of a community should be filtered out at an early stage. The assessment should also consider cumulative impacts rather than reviewing sites in isolation. In areas such as Mobberley, combining additional development with increasing traffic, aircraft noise and environmental pressures risks creating impacts that are substantially greater than the effect of any individual site viewed independently

Comment

Representation ID: 4064

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The spatial strategy should prioritise locations capable of accommodating growth without causing irreversible environmental harm. Development should not be concentrated in villages simply because land is available. Landscape sensitivity, infrastructure constraints, environmental quality and community character must carry equal weight. Around Mobberley, further development risks undermining the rural setting of the village, increasing pressure on local roads and reducing the important gap with Knutsford. The distribution of growth should reflect the ability of places to absorb change sustainably rather than focusing narrowly on housing delivery targets. Protecting settlement identity must remain a key strategic objective of the new Plan

Comment

Representation ID: 4068

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

Infrastructure should be delivered before development, not promised afterwards. Areas around Mobberley already experience significant pressures from road traffic and the environmental impacts associated with proximity to Manchester Airport. Any growth strategy must be supported by robust evidence demonstrating sufficient capacity within local roads, healthcare, utilities, public services and sustainable transport networks. The cumulative impact of housing growth, airport activity, vehicle movements, air quality and noise should be fully assessed before sites are allocated. The Local Plan should avoid placing additional development in locations where existing infrastructure and environmental conditions already raise legitimate concerns regarding long-term sustainability and wellbeing.

Comment

Representation ID: 4069

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The Local Plan should adopt a precautionary approach towards the loss of undeveloped countryside. Fields, mature trees, hedgerows and connected habitats provide environmental benefits that often extend well beyond designated wildlife sites. Site allocations should be supported by comprehensive ecological surveys and should demonstrate no unacceptable loss of biodiversity, habitat connectivity or landscape character. Particular weight should be given to protecting mature trees, veteran trees, important hedgerows and wildlife corridors. Around Mobberley, open countryside also contributes to tranquillity, environmental resilience and public wellbeing. Where uncertainty exists regarding environmental harm, protection rather than development should be the preferred outcome.

Comment

Representation ID: 4072

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The Local Plan should place far greater emphasis on the cumulative health impacts of development. Communities around Mobberley are already affected by road traffic, aircraft noise and environmental pollution linked to Manchester Airport. Any additional development will inevitably increase vehicle movements and place further pressure on local infrastructure. The evidence base should specifically assess the combined impact of noise, air pollution, loss of green space and reduced access to countryside on physical and mental wellbeing. Thought should be given to vulnerable groups, including children and older residents, and whether further growth is compatible with the objective of creating healthy communities.

Comment

Representation ID: 4074

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

It is difficult to reconcile the loss of open countryside with the Council's stated climate and environmental objectives. Undeveloped land contributes to biodiversity, carbon storage, natural drainage and climate resilience. Development on greenfield sites increases traffic demand and reduces the availability of natural habitats. The Plan should demonstrate how proposals are consistent with Cheshire East's carbon reduction ambitions and avoid creating future environmental liabilities. Protecting existing countryside around settlements such as Mobberley is often a more effective climate strategy than attempting to mitigate environmental damage after development has taken place.

Comment

Representation ID: 4076

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The Local Plan should require a robust cumulative impact assessment for locations already affected by environmental pressures. Around Mobberley, residents experience aircraft noise, traffic-related pollution and the loss of tranquillity associated with the Manchester Airport corridor. Additional development would inevitably increase vehicle movements and environmental impacts. The Council should ensure that site allocations are supported by clear evidence demonstrating that air quality, noise and public health effects remain acceptable when considered cumulatively rather than on a site-by-site basis. Particular consideration should be given to children, older people and those most vulnerable to environmental pollution.

Comment

Representation ID: 4077

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The Council should consider whether a Strategic Green Gap designation is required between Mobberley and Knutsford. The existing countryside forms a clear and important visual and physical break between settlements and performs the same planning function as other protected gaps elsewhere in the borough. Incremental development risks the gradual erosion of this separation, resulting in permanent harm to settlement identity and landscape character. Once compromised, such gaps are extremely difficult to restore. The Local Plan should adopt a precautionary approach and protect land that plays a critical role in preventing coalescence.

Comment

Representation ID: 4081

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The Plan should apply a precautionary approach to development on open countryside around Mobberley. The land performs multiple important functions simultaneously: maintaining separation from Knutsford, supporting biodiversity, providing valued walking routes, contributing to health and wellbeing, assisting natural drainage and preserving rural character. The cumulative impact of development, airport-related noise, increasing traffic, environmental pressures and loss of green infrastructure should be assessed holistically rather than site by site. Once these functions are lost, they cannot realistically be recreated through mitigation, landscaping or future planning policy.

Comment

Representation ID: 4083

Received: 31/08/2026

Respondent: Mr Marc Vesty

The principal challenge is not simply accommodating housing numbers but ensuring that growth is directed to locations capable of accommodating development without unacceptable harm. Particular attention should be paid to cumulative impacts on infrastructure, environmental quality, surface water management, biodiversity, landscape character and public health. The pressure to meet increased housing targets must not reduce the level of scrutiny applied to site selection. The Local Plan should demonstrate that all reasonable alternatives have been assessed and that sites are chosen through an evidence-led process which prioritises sustainability, community wellbeing and long-term environmental resilience rather than short-term delivery considerations.