Full text:
I am writing to express my strong objection to proposals for large-scale housing development on green belt and agricultural land in and around Ashley. A humbling landscape that allows many working residents to reconnect with nature, a symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity, helping local residents mental health thrive and an increasingly rare chance for biodiversity to flourish. Allowing urbanisation further into these award winning remaining pockets of nature will see present and future generations shaking their heads reminiscing on what once was.
I want to make clear at the outset that my objection is not to social housing or to providing homes for people who need them. However, I strongly believe that the location, scale and potential consequences of these proposals need to be properly considered. Building a substantial new settlement on the Green Belt and productive farmland around Ashley would, in my view, come at an unacceptable environmental, social and economic cost.
There is a Huge Ecological Cost…
The agricultural fields and Green Belt surrounding Ashley are far more than simply undeveloped land waiting to be built upon. They form an important part of the local landscape and provide habitats for wildlife, ecological corridors and open space for residents.
Developing these fields would result in the permanent loss of agricultural land and disturb habitats, hedgerows, mature trees, field boundaries and the wider biodiversity of the area. Once this land is built over, its ecological and agricultural value cannot simply be recreated elsewhere.
There is also a wider environmental argument, replacing fields with roads, buildings, driveways and other hard surfaces will increase surface-water runoff and place additional pressure on the Bollin Rivers capacity, particularly with government warnings of extreme weather such as drought and flooding on the rise, the housing plans you are responsible for will only add to this.
I am particularly concerned that the cumulative environmental impact of a large development is sometimes underestimated when individual elements are considered separately. The loss of farmland, increased traffic where congestion is already in issue in and around Hale and Altrincham, construction activity, lighting, noise, pollution and pressure on surrounding habitats can fundamentally alter the character and ecological function of an area.
If there is a genuine commitment to tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity, building large-scale developments on previously undeveloped countryside should surely be one of the options considered most carefully.
The impact on Ashley’s character and community.
Ashley is a peaceful village with a distinctive character and identity. Its relationship with the surrounding countryside is an integral part of what makes it a special place to live.
A development of the scale being contemplated would risk changing that character permanently. There is a significant difference between carefully integrating a modest number of homes into an existing community and effectively creating a substantial new urban extension around a village that has little to no infrastructure as is.
I am concerned that Ashley could become overwhelmed by development rather than benefiting from proportionate, sustainable growth.
There is also a social dimension to this. Existing residents have built their lives around the scale, character and accessibility of the village. A very large influx of residents without a corresponding expansion of local services and infrastructure could put considerable pressure on the existing community and potentially diminish the very qualities that make Ashley an attractive and healthy place to live.
Lack of infrastructure
One of my greatest concerns is whether Ashley has the infrastructure necessary to support development on this scale.
A development of hundreds of additional homes would inevitably increase demand for:
Local roads and junctions
Public transport
Schools and other educational facilities
GP and healthcare services
Utilities and drainage
Waste and recycling services
Shops and other local amenities
Community facilities
Ashley is not an urban centre with substantial spare infrastructure capacity. It is a minuscule village centred around agriculture and its infrastructure needs to be assessed against the actual scale of the proposed development, rather than assuming that existing facilities can simply absorb a major increase in population.
Additional traffic is another obvious concern. Increased vehicle movements through Ashley and surrounding roads would have implications for congestion, road safety, noise and air quality. It would also seem unrealistic to assume that residents of a large development would be able to rely entirely on public transport when the existing transport provision is relatively limited.
Before approving development on this scale, I believe the council should be able to demonstrate convincingly that the necessary infrastructure will be delivered before or alongside the housing, rather than allowing the community to experience years of additional pressure while infrastructure catches up.
Economic considerations
There also needs to be a much broader assessment of the economic consequences.
Agricultural land has an economic value in its own right. Once productive farmland is developed, that resource is permanently lost. There are also costs associated with expanding roads, drainage, utilities, schools, healthcare and other public services to accommodate a significant new population.
It is important that the council considers not simply the economic value of constructing new homes, but the long-term public cost of supporting the development and maintaining the infrastructure that follows it.
There should also be a clear consideration of whether social housing genuinely needs to be delivered on this particular Green Belt land, or whether the housing requirement could be met through previously developed land, brownfield sites, regeneration and better use of existing urban areas.
Green Belt should not automatically be regarded as the easiest or cheapest land on which to build simply because it is available. This perspective is a total betrayal on the local communities that have worked to protect and preserve Ashley’s serene landscape, with many residents building their lives around the fields and River Bollin.
A personal connection to Ashley
For me, this issue is also deeply personal.
I grew up here, and from a young age I was fortunate enough to experience the countryside from a walking distance as part of everyday life, a rarity for many due to large scale housing developments like this in other areas of Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Walking through the fields, seeing the changing seasons, encountering wildlife and simply having access to open green space taught me to appreciate nature and sustainability in a way that I don’t think can be replicated by parks or landscaped areas within a housing development.
Those experiences have stayed with me throughout my life and shaped my personality. [REDACTED] I know I am not the only one in my community that has had this experience.
The ability to step outside and walk through open countryside has provided a sense of peace, perspective and connection to the natural world. It has been somewhere to clear my head, to reflect and to feel better. The importance of access to nature and green space to people’s wellbeing should not be underestimated.
What concerns me most is the possibility that future generations growing up in Ashley could lose the same opportunity that I was fortunate enough to have.
I would hate for children growing up here in years to come to know these fields only as a memory, a road name or a small landscaped area between houses. Once this landscape has been fundamentally transformed, we cannot simply decide later that we would like it back.
Progress should not necessarily mean building on every remaining piece of countryside.
A request for proper consideration
I therefore respectfully ask the council to reconsider the principle and scale of large-scale development on Green Belt and agricultural land around Ashley.
I ask that the council:
Give full and proper consideration to alternative brownfield and previously developed sites before releasing Green Belt land.
Commission a robust assessment of the ecological and biodiversity consequences of developing the agricultural fields.
Properly assess the cumulative impact of development on local roads, drainage, healthcare, schools, public transport and other infrastructure.
Consider the social and wellbeing value of retaining accessible countryside around Ashley.
Fully account for the long-term economic and public-service costs associated with a substantial increase in population.
Ensure that any housing requirement is met in a way that is proportionate to the character and capacity of existing communities.
Give meaningful consideration to the views of residents who have lived in and contributed to this community for many years.
I believe we can support the delivery of housing without sacrificing irreplaceable countryside and farmland unnecessarily. Housing developments and environmental protection should not be presented as mutually exclusive objectives.
Ashley deserves thoughtful, sustainable development that works with the existing community and landscape, rather than development that fundamentally changes its character.
I hope that the council will listen carefully to the concerns of local residents and recognise that these fields represent more than potential development sites. They are part of our landscape, our local identity, our agricultural heritage and, for many of us, our memories and our connection to nature.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns. I would be grateful if this objection could be formally recorded and taken into account when these proposals are considered.
