Local plan scoping consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 5877

Received: 01/09/2026

Respondent: Catherine Riebold

I strongly object to the proposed 291-hectare development across 12 contiguous parcels at
Ashley. This is high-performing Green Belt, not Grey Belt: it prevents urban sprawl, maintains
the vital countryside gap between Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and safeguards open,
productive farmland. Ashley is a small rural settlement with limited services, no bus network and only limited rail; every approach crosses narrow, constrained bridges. A development of this
scale is fundamentally unsustainable and would cause severe traffic, infrastructure and drainage
pressures, while damaging protected landscapes, wildlife habitats, and the settings of numerous
listed buildings.