Local plan scoping consultation

To whom it may concern,
I am writing to formally set out my objections to the proposed development by the Tatton Estate in Ashley, Cheshire East.
The land in question is currently high-grade agricultural land and, for the most part, lies within the Green Belt. This Green Belt is particularly important as it represents one of the first significant breaks in the urban sprawl extending from Manchester towards Hale, Halebarns and Bowdon. I believe it is important that this open land is protected from inappropriate development.
The use of Green Belt land for development should, among other considerations, be closely linked to the availability of sustainable transport and good connectivity. Ashley does not currently meet this requirement. Although Ashley has a railway station on the northern line between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly, it currently has only one train per hour in each direction on weekdays, with a reduced service at weekends. Ashley is also the least-used station on the line. There is no station car park and there is currently no bus service serving the village.
Furthermore, there are approved plans and funding in place for the construction of a new railway station at Cheadle. It is my understanding, based on statements made in Parliament, that once this development proceeds, rail services at Ashley may be reduced further. This would make Ashley an even less suitable location for a large-scale development reliant on sustainable transport infrastructure.
Ashley is a small rural village, comprising approximately 95 houses in total, with around 60 houses in the village centre that would be directly affected by the proposed development. The plans submitted by the Tatton Estate are on a vastly different scale, proposing approximately 11,000 houses. I have significant concerns about whether the existing infrastructure could accommodate such a substantial increase in population and traffic.
There are four roads providing access to and from Ashley, and these are already hazardous, with regular accidents involving vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Each route is constrained by either a narrow bridge over a river or a narrow bridge over the existing railway line. The substantial increase in traffic that would result from the proposed development would place an unacceptable burden on these roads and, in my view, would create significant safety and access concerns.
I am also concerned about the loss of high-quality agricultural land. Given the increasingly challenging agricultural conditions associated with climate change, and the low yields experienced this year, it is particularly important that productive agricultural land is protected wherever possible. Once developed, this land cannot readily be returned to agricultural use. I therefore believe that its long-term agricultural and environmental value should be given considerably greater weight in assessing these proposals.
For the reasons outlined above, I respectfully ask that these points be formally recorded as my objections to the proposed development by the Tatton Estate.