Local plan scoping consultation

To whom it may concern,

I have become aware of publicity about an apparent offer to Cheshire East Council of between eight and 12 parcels of land to be included in your updated plans for residential development.

I am deeply concerned that development at this scale could cause a broad range of severe problems not only in Ashley and its environs, but also to the nearby settlements of Bowdon, Hale and Altrincham.

The land offered constitutes high quality farmland and green belt unsuitable for conversion to residential development at scale.

The proposed addition of thousands of new dwellings around Ashley would overwhelm local amenities and transport links and destroy the historic character of the area, causing an unacceptable impact on local residents.

I am greatly concerned that the new notion of ‘grey belt’ land will be misused. Who decides whether green belt land is ‘making a contribution’ towards the green belt? I fear that ecologically valuable wild areas whose aesthetic value may (unfairly) come into question could be deemed ‘grey’. There should be very precise and transparent rules regarding the application of this status. Despite growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity in recent years (and decades), the contribution of wild spaces to human health by filtering out pollution and promoting bioconversion of plants and animals, as well as the importance of healthy soil as a carbon sink, remain poorly and not widely understood.

The recent heavy rains and the New Year floods of 2025 remind us that water management is a vital concern. Converting wild or farmed areas to large-scale residential areas risks exacerbating the existing problems we face in Trafford as well as in North Cheshire by making more land non-absorbent and removing vegetation that captures excess rainwater and carbon. We only have a few rivers and brooks to go round.

The areas is also has irreplaceable historic heritage which is tied up in the natural landscape as well as in local listed buildings.

I ask you to reject Tatton Estates’ offer and instead encourage this land to be retained for environmentally conscious farming and other small-scale rural uses in harmony with the local community and landscape.

Your local plan should seek to incorporate the ideas of Christopher Alexander and his colleagues who advocated the ‘Timeless Way of Building’, which sought to create harmony in planning and building and afford modern developments the organic charm, utility and humanity familiar from mediaeval and early modern settlements that have lasted into the modern era.

To whom it may concern,

I have become aware of publicity about an apparent offer to Cheshire East Council of between eight and 12 parcels of land to be included in your updated plans for residential development.

I am deeply concerned that development at this scale could cause a broad range of severe problems not only in Ashley and its environs, but also to the nearby settlements of Bowdon, Hale and Altrincham.

The land offered constitutes high quality farmland and green belt unsuitable for conversion to residential development at scale.

The proposed addition of thousands of new dwellings around Ashley would overwhelm local amenities and transport links and destroy the historic character of the area, causing an unacceptable impact on local residents.

I am greatly concerned that the new notion of ‘grey belt’ land will be misused. Who decides whether green belt land is ‘making a contribution’ towards the green belt? I fear that ecologically valuable wild areas whose aesthetic value may (unfairly) come into question could be deemed ‘grey’. There should be very precise and transparent rules regarding the application of this status. Despite growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity in recent years (and decades), the contribution of wild spaces to human health by filtering out pollution and promoting bioconversion of plants and animals, as well as the importance of healthy soil as a carbon sink, remain poorly and not widely understood.

The recent heavy rains and the New Year floods of 2025 remind us that water management is a vital concern. Converting wild or farmed areas to large-scale residential areas risks exacerbating the existing problems we face in Trafford as well as in North Cheshire by making more land non-absorbent and removing vegetation that captures excess rainwater and carbon. We only have a few rivers and brooks to go round.

The areas is also has irreplaceable historic heritage which is tied up in the natural landscape as well as in local listed buildings.

I ask you to reject Tatton Estates’ offer and instead encourage this land to be retained for environmentally conscious farming and other small-scale rural uses in harmony with the local community and landscape.

Your local plan should seek to incorporate the ideas of Christopher Alexander and his colleagues who advocated the ‘Timeless Way of Building’, which sought to create harmony in planning and building and afford modern developments the organic charm, utility and humanity familiar from mediaeval and early modern settlements that have lasted into the modern era.

To whom it may concern,

I have become aware of publicity about an apparent offer to Cheshire East Council of between eight and 12 parcels of land to be included in your updated plans for residential development.

I am deeply concerned that development at this scale could cause a broad range of severe problems not only in Ashley and its environs, but also to the nearby settlements of Bowdon, Hale and Altrincham.

The land offered constitutes high quality farmland and green belt unsuitable for conversion to residential development at scale.

The proposed addition of thousands of new dwellings around Ashley would overwhelm local amenities and transport links and destroy the historic character of the area, causing an unacceptable impact on local residents.

I am greatly concerned that the new notion of ‘grey belt’ land will be misused. Who decides whether green belt land is ‘making a contribution’ towards the green belt? I fear that ecologically valuable wild areas whose aesthetic value may (unfairly) come into question could be deemed ‘grey’. There should be very precise and transparent rules regarding the application of this status. Despite growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity in recent years (and decades), the contribution of wild spaces to human health by filtering out pollution and promoting bioconversion of plants and animals, as well as the importance of healthy soil as a carbon sink, remain poorly and not widely understood.

The recent heavy rains and the New Year floods of 2025 remind us that water management is a vital concern. Converting wild or farmed areas to large-scale residential areas risks exacerbating the existing problems we face in Trafford as well as in North Cheshire by making more land non-absorbent and removing vegetation that captures excess rainwater and carbon. We only have a few rivers and brooks to go round.

The areas is also has irreplaceable historic heritage which is tied up in the natural landscape as well as in local listed buildings.

I ask you to reject Tatton Estates’ offer and instead encourage this land to be retained for environmentally conscious farming and other small-scale rural uses in harmony with the local community and landscape.

Your local plan should seek to incorporate the ideas of Christopher Alexander and his colleagues who advocated the ‘Timeless Way of Building’, which sought to create harmony in planning and building and afford modern developments the organic charm, utility and humanity familiar from mediaeval and early modern settlements that have lasted into the modern era.