Local plan scoping consultation

To Whom It May Concern

As a resident of nearby Hale, I am deeply concerned to learn of the 291-hectare development proposal put forward by Tatton Estates on land in and around Ashley. I firmly believe we should be looking to protect and preserve this vital and irreplaceable green belt landscape, not bull-doze our way through it. As such I write to raise my concerns and formally object to the proposal for a number of reasons:
• Firstly, it would destroy the unique character of Ashley forever, a small rural village with no infrastructure/facilities (other than a pub) and a train station which has an hourly service (at best).
• In addition, the local rural roads which service the village were never built for heavy traffic flow, with many narrow railway bridges and other pinchpoints. They would surely be unable to accommodate the significantly increased traffic movements around the area/towards the A538 and M56 safely.
• It would also destroy Ashley’s surrounding beautiful green belt countryside with its wildlife, open and peaceful landscapes and nearby historic buildings. More critically for future food security, it would destroy prime working farmland permanently. By doing so, it would go against national policy which, to the best of my knowledge, does not allow active & specfically productive farmland to be released for development
• To my mind, the development were it to go ahead would also essentially facilitate “urban sprawl” by the back door, as the new housing would border (and effectively merge with) Hale and Hale Barns among others, ie the wider Greater Manchester area.
• On a practical level there appears to be a distinct lack of core infrastructure in the proposals (schools, healthcare, utilities, deep drainage) which make them unviable in my opinion. Given that the area currently lacks sufficient sewage and surface water drainage capacity to meet the new demands, there would surely then be a much increased flood risk to the River Bollin catchment area (exacerbated as it must surely also be by the vagaries of climate change)
• As the development land in question falls within Manchester Airport’s flight path noise and bird-strike hazard zones, it would seem to make high-density housing undesirable and/or unsuitable
• Overall the proposed development must surely cause irreparable environmental/ecological and/or heritage harm to – among others - the Bollin Valley, nearby Rostherne and Tatton Park, Cotterill Clough Nature Reserve, other ancient woodlands and various Grade II listed buildings, including Ashley Hall, something I feel very strongly about. Instead the priority should surely be to preserve this type of landscape for future generations.

In essence the site proposal would completely obliterate the identity, landscape, and infrastructure of Ashley and its surroundings and, as such, I firmly believe it should not be put forward for further consideration and would respectfully urge Cheshire East Council to classify the entire development area (as defined above) as Unsuitable and Undeliverable in its Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) submission.
Thank you for noting my concerns.