Local plan scoping consultation

Please find below my representations to the Cheshire East New Local Plan scoping consultation, submitted ahead of the 5pm deadline on 1 September 2026. My submission covers two elements:

1. Methodology comment on the “Identifying and assessing sites” section, requesting that the site-selection approach accounts for previous assessment history, assesses constraints cumulatively, explicitly assesses settlement coalescence (Mobberley and Knutsford), uses current Manchester Airport noise contours, and evidences the track record of infrastructure delivery.

2. Site-specific objections in relation to the six Mobberley site submissions set out below.

A central point running through my objections is that the Council should assess the cumulative impact of all proposed housing, employment and mixed-use development around Mobberley, rather than assessing each site as though it were the only site being considered. A site which appears acceptable in isolation may become unsuitable when its impacts are considered alongside several other developments in the same village.

The grounds for objection include Green Belt function and settlement coalescence, aircraft noise (with reference to the Council’s established SOAEL position and appeal decision APP/R0660/W/15/3027388), drainage and flood risk, ecology and protected species, heritage and Conservation Area impact, physical highway constraints (including the Smith Lane railway bridge and Mobberley Brook bridges), and highway capacity and safety.

I would be grateful if you could confirm receipt of this submission and add me to the notification list for future stages of the Local Plan process.

1. Methodology comment – “Identifying and assessing sites”

I wish to comment on the methodology for identifying and assessing sites. I ask that the following principles are built into the plan’s site-selection approach:

1. Previous assessment history must count. Where land around Mobberley has previously been assessed and rejected, the new assessment should identify those earlier findings and explain what has materially changed. A Call for Sites submission demonstrates availability, not suitability.
2. Constraints must be assessed cumulatively. Sites should be filtered against Green Belt contribution, safe highway access, infrastructure capacity, drainage and flood risk, aircraft noise, heritage, landscape, agricultural land quality and ecology – considered together, rather than treated as matters capable of later mitigation.
3. Coalescence must be assessed explicitly. The methodology should directly assess the risk of settlements merging (e.g. Mobberley and Knutsford), not just generic “openness”.
4. Aircraft noise must use current contours. Assessments must use the latest Manchester Airports Group noise contours and state which band each site falls within, applying the Council’s own established SOAEL position (60 dB LAeq,16h).
5. Infrastructure delivery track record. The evidence base should show how past infrastructure commitments in comparable developments have performed, so housing numbers are not justified on promises that have not held up.

2. Site-specific objections

Cumulative impact (applies to all sites below). I am concerned that assessing each potential site individually risks significantly understating the impact of the overall level of development being considered around Mobberley. The Council should assess the combined effect of all proposed housing, employment and mixed-use sites on highway capacity, infrastructure, drainage, landscape character, biodiversity, aircraft noise and the relationship between Mobberley and neighbouring settlements. A site which might appear acceptable in isolation may become unsuitable when its impacts are considered alongside several other developments in the same settlement.

1. Land off Ryecroft Lane / Land between Ryecroft Lane and Pavement Lane (Site MB08 / CFS26 373)

I object to the inclusion of MB08 (Land off Ryecroft Lane) and the adjoining land between Ryecroft Lane and Pavement Lane as potential housing sites.

This land raises particularly significant questions regarding Green Belt function, aircraft noise, drainage and ecology, which should be considered now, at the site-selection stage, rather than deferred to a future planning application.

• Green Belt and coalescence: Cheshire East’s own Mobberley Settlement Report (August 2020, pp. 49–53) identified the relevant Green Belt parcel as making a major contribution to maintaining the separation between Mobberley and Knutsford, across a gap of under 700 metres, noting that development would significantly reduce the actual and perceived gap between the settlements. The Council should explain why that previous assessment no longer applies and what has materially changed since.
• Aircraft noise: There is an important planning history relating to aircraft noise in Mobberley. A previous appeal concerning residential development in the village (Ref APP/R0660/W/15/3027388) considered aircraft noise at levels around and above 60 dB LAeq,16h – the level the Council itself has treated as the SOAEL – and concluded that the adverse noise impacts were overriding. The Council should assess MB08 against current Manchester Airports Group noise data and explain how the site could provide an acceptable residential environment.
• Drainage and flood risk: Local residents have experienced flooding affecting fields, gardens and Pavement Lane. The consequences of replacing permeable agricultural land with housing, roads and other hard surfaces should be properly understood before the site is considered suitable.
• Ecology and landscape: The area contains mature and ancient oak trees (understood to include trees subject to Tree Preservation Orders), established hedgerows and habitat supporting protected species, which form part of its established rural character.

Given the site’s Green Belt function, its relationship to the Mobberley–Knutsford gap and the aircraft-noise constraint, I ask that MB08 and the adjoining land be removed from consideration as potential housing sites.

Cumulative impact: This site should be assessed alongside the other housing, employment and mixed-use sites proposed around Mobberley, whose combined effect on the Mobberley–Knutsford gap and local infrastructure would be considerably greater than any single proposal.

2. Land north of Town Lane, Mobberley (housing)

I object to the inclusion of Land north of Town Lane as a potential housing site.

This is a sensitive edge-of-village location where significant development would extend the built-up area into the surrounding countryside and further erode the rural character and identity of Mobberley.

I am particularly concerned about the cumulative impact on Town Lane and the surrounding highway network. These roads already accommodate local, through and airport-related traffic and include sections with limited pedestrian infrastructure. Additional residential traffic would increase congestion and create further safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, particularly at the Knutsford Road junction.

The site also appears to raise significant questions regarding drainage and surface-water management because of its elevated and undulating topography. These issues should be properly assessed before the site is considered suitable. The Council should also assess the site’s aircraft-noise environment, given the established planning history of residential development in Mobberley.

I ask that the site is not carried forward unless the Council can demonstrate that these constraints can genuinely be overcome and that development would be sustainable in its wider village context. More sustainable, previously developed land should be prioritised first.

Cumulative impact: The impact of Town Lane should be considered together with other sites proposed around the village, as their combined traffic and infrastructure effects could be substantially greater than this proposal alone.

3. Land East / West of Pepper Street, Mobberley (housing)

I object to the inclusion of Land East/West of Pepper Street as a potential residential development site.

This land currently contributes to the open countryside setting of Mobberley and provides an important transition between the existing built-up area and the surrounding rural landscape. Development would permanently change this relationship and contribute to the gradual urbanisation of the village.
I am also concerned about the additional traffic that residential development would generate on Pepper Street and surrounding roads, particularly during school and commuting periods. The Council should assess the capacity and safety of the whole local highway network rather than relying solely on whether an individual access can technically be provided. The potential impacts on drainage, biodiversity, landscape character and neighbouring properties should also be properly assessed.

A current representation also notes that a neighbouring property is a former Congregational Chapel dating from 1856, within the Mobberley Conservation Area, whose historic setting includes the surrounding open land. The Council should therefore assess the impact of any development on this heritage asset and on the Conservation Area.

I ask that the Council considers more sustainable, previously developed land before releasing further open countryside for housing.

Cumulative impact: If several sites around Mobberley are progressed, their combined effect on the village’s infrastructure, countryside setting and character could be substantial, and this site should not be assessed in isolation.

4. Land between Railway and Smith Lane, Mobberley (housing)

I object to the inclusion of land between the railway and Smith Lane as a potential housing site.

This location has a number of significant constraints which make it unsuitable for substantial residential development. The site is immediately affected by the railway environment, raising questions regarding noise and residential amenity for future occupants. At the same time, its connection to the existing highway network would add traffic to roads which are already constrained.

In particular, the railway bridge on Smith Lane and other narrow sections of the surrounding road network represent physical constraints which cannot simply be resolved through minor highway improvements. Additional development would also increase pressure on local services and contribute to the cumulative urbanisation of this part of Mobberley. Given its proximity to Manchester Airport, the Council should also assess the site’s aircraft-noise environment.

The Council should assess this site alongside the proposed employment development west of Smith Lane and other sites in the village. Considering each site independently risks understating the combined traffic, infrastructure, landscape and environmental impacts. I ask that the site is not carried forward unless the Council can demonstrate that these constraints can be satisfactorily overcome.

Cumulative impact: The physical highway constraints on Smith Lane are especially relevant when this site and the proposed employment land west of Smith Lane are considered together.

5. Land West of Smith Lane, Mobberley (employment)

I object to the inclusion of Land west of Smith Lane as a potential employment / economic development site.

My concern is not with employment development in principle, but with whether this particular location is capable of accommodating the additional traffic and activity that employment development would generate.
Smith Lane and the surrounding rural road network contain narrow sections, bridges – including the Smith Lane railway bridge and the Mobberley Brook bridges – and limited pedestrian infrastructure. Additional employee commuting, deliveries, service vehicles and visitor traffic could place significant pressure on these existing constraints, particularly at peak times. There are also potential concerns regarding noise, lighting and the visual impact of employment uses within the rural setting.
The Council should assess the site in conjunction with other proposed development around Mobberley rather than considering its transport impact in isolation. Development of this site alongside residential growth elsewhere could result in a substantial cumulative increase in traffic through already constrained routes.

I therefore ask that the Council demonstrates a clear need for this particular employment location and provides robust evidence that the highway, environmental and landscape impacts can be satisfactorily addressed before it is taken forward.

Cumulative impact: The combined traffic impact of this employment site and the neighbouring residential proposals on Smith Lane’s constrained bridges and lanes should be assessed together, not site by site.

6. Land North of Station Road / pockets along Broad Oak Lane, Pepper Street & Smith Lane (mixed-use)

I object to the inclusion of Land north of Station Road as a potential mixed-use development site.

While I recognise the benefits that appropriately located regeneration can bring, this location should not be assumed to be sustainable simply because it is relatively close to the existing village. The surrounding highway network is already constrained, with narrow roads, limited pedestrian provision and existing congestion. Additional residential, commercial and associated traffic would place further pressure on this network, and poor public transport and walking/cycling links would make the site heavily car-dependent, contrary to sustainable planning principles.
I am also concerned that development of open land at this location would contribute to the gradual urbanisation of Mobberley, reduce the distinction between the village and its surrounding countryside, and harm landscape character, important views and wildlife habitat.
I ask that previously developed and genuinely sustainable brownfield opportunities are fully assessed before this site is considered suitable for inclusion in the new Local Plan.

Cumulative impact: The combined effect of this site alongside the other housing and employment sites promoted around Mobberley could be substantially greater than the impact of any individual proposal.