1 | P a g e

Regulation 18 Local Plan - Issues Paper Consultation Form (July 2018)

Any comments you have on the Local Plan Issues Paper can be submitted using this

consultation response form. Please note, not all questions are mandatory.

Comments, using this form, can be submitted by email to

localplan.consultation@trafford.gov.uk or by post to Strategic Planning, Strategic Growth

Services, Trafford Council, Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Manchester, M32 0TH.

If you have any enquiries regarding the Local Plan Issues Paper, please email

localplan.consultation@trafford.gov.uk or call 0161 912 3149 and a member of the Strategic

Planning Team will be able to assist.

Comments are invited on the Issues Paper from 23rd July 2018 until 14th September 2018

when the consultation will close.

Data protection

Please note all comments will be held by the Council and will be available to view publicly.

Comments cannot be treated as confidential. Your personal information such as your postal

and e-mail address will not be published, but your name and organisation (if relevant) will.

Trafford Council maintains a database of consultees who wish to be kept informed about

strategic planning matters such as the Local Plan. In responding to this consultation your

contact details will automatically be added to the consultation database (if not already held).

If you do not want to be on the consultation database and therefore not be contacted about

future strategic planning consultations please state this in your response.

Personal details

Title Dr

Forename Charlotte

Surname Starkey

Organisation

(if applicable)

Position/title

(if applicable)

Address

Postcode

Email address

Landline phone no Mobile phone

no

If you are representing another person, please provide their details as follows:

Title

Forename

Surname

2 | P a g e

Organisation

(if applicable)

Position/title

(if applicable)

Address

Postcode

Email address

Landline phone no Mobile phone

no

Scope and contents of the Local Plan

Do you agree with the scope and contents of the Local Plan?

No. Whilst the content list is comprehensive, the topics are expected of any local council

survey. What is of concern is that you are using Capita for your service in providing

statements re-the topics, a company with a history of illegal activity when in the public

sector. I am assuming Capita has franchises over GM too in which case it’s assessment of

Trafford is going to be governed by inevitable conflicts of interest and hidden agendas. This

is obviously the case without even reading their ‘comments’ in individual papers. The central

problem is that Trafford as a distinct council is being submerged into Capita’s version of

‘Greater Manchester’ and that is a key issue for Trafford which should retain its own distinct

identity. The presence of Capita simply reinforces the ‘outsourcing’ of local government into

‘consultancies’ on huge fees whilst members of the local councils in England are completely

ignorant of the places where they operate in public service.

Should any assumptions be made for development beyond the end of the plan period in

line with the emerging GMSF?

How can we ensure a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ runs through

the Plan?

“Sustainable development” is a sloppy phrase which means absolutely nothing. What are you

intended to ‘sustain’? Housing development; manufacturing development; green spaces

development (that grows by itself if left alone); economic development; population

development; intellectual development; emotional development?

3 | P a g e

Vision and objectives for the Borough

Do you agree that the Local Plan should have its own spatial vision?

Yes. Trafford consists of numerous individually and historically distinct areas and it does not

need to bow to the demands of the anonymous ‘Greater Manchester’ body.

4 | P a g e

What do consider are the key spatial priorities which should be included in a Local Plan

Vision?

Remediation and restoration of degraded peat bogs (Carrington Moss) to contribute to climate

change threats.

Control of urban sprawl.

Reduction of Carbon emissions (transport).

Prioritise public transport and reduce car usage.

Minimise Light Pollution across the whole of Trafford.

New buildings to be constructed only in existing built-up areas.

Spatial profile of the Borough

Does the diagram (page 16 of the Issues Paper) provide a good representation of

Trafford?

No. It identifies the Carrington area as a ‘growth’ area. Carrington is situated on a badly

degraded peat bog as a consequence of abuse since 1886 when Manchester Cleansing Dept.

began to tip human and industrial waste on the site, further trashed when

Petrochemicals/Petrocarbon and Shell introduced the invention of plastic production at

Carrington, further contaminating the moss. Any attempt to introduce ‘growth’ here will

simply destroy the only moss land left in Trafford capable of contributing to control of global

and regional carbon emissions. It also connects with the Mersey Valley. The plan has also

taken it out of the Green Belt definition which has existed formally since at least 1945 in the

Manchester and District Regional Planning Proposals 1945 where (p. 11) it was stated that

“the mosslands are not suitable for development and have been included in the proposed

green belt round the Manchester district”. This also identifies the fallacy of attempting to

allow building across Carrington Moss now because the geology and carbon capture

resources of the moss are still relevant. The spatial profile also ignores the option at

Carrington to create a new focus for the remediation of degraded moss land, a globabl

problem, when it is a prime location for expert study and regeneration as a peat bog for

carbon capture within the region. That initiative would bring huge economic benefits in terms

expert employment capable of being exported, too.

The diagram also suggests that Trafford is coming under increasing pressure from other

combined Greater Manchester authorities to ‘deliver’ on their building programmes, in other

words, pushing their problems upon any space they think is easily obtainable; and it is well

known that has been a view within Manchester and other regional authorities re-Trafford for

decades.

5 | P a g e

Should the Local Plan identify different distinct “Places” to those in the Core Strategy?

Yes. Specificallly named green belt, heritage, historic landscapes, distinct regional town

centres and villages for proteection; brownfield sites for future development, and area

boundaries should be clarified. In other words, a much large and more detailed map is

required for informed responses. Include in this, too, a detailed ‘Rights of Way’ map of

Trafford. It is outdated and inaccurate. Trafford consists of many individually and historially

unique locations whose identities and histories are ignored in most decisions; this problem is

compounded by the overarching ‘monster’ of Greater Manchester, which is far too big and

typically an extension of the culture of Manchester City during the Industrial Revolution

where everything was ‘up for grabs’.

Economic Growth

Economy

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to economy is appropriate?

No. The phrase ‘sustainable growth’ is used repeatedly and is meaningless to many people, a

catch phrase without specific detail. The focus on industry is minimal and ultimately this is

the only real growth area that is ‘sustainable’. The plan does nothing to address the

catastrophic loss of industry since the 1980s and there are key areas missing: engineering and

science to address the problems of climate change; refocus the minds of the council away

from the take-away, pizza parlour, café mentality and nail-boutique culture that now defines

‘work’ in Trafford.

The key area for me is the great opportunity at Carrington. Historically abused from 1886

with night-soil tipping, then industrial and urban tipping, followed by the petrochemical

industry of Petrocarbon, Shell and Bassell, it is the place where a Peat Bog was badly abused.

Carrington provides a huge opportunity, when climate change is such an urgent issue, and

where plastic pollution (first discovered at Carrington in the fractioning of crude oil, 1947,

Petrocarbon), for a serious Peat Bog Remediation and Restoration Centre with a secondary

dedicated site to finding solutions to Global Plastic Pollution. I think this enterprise in

combination would be a huge economic driver for Trafford, with global export potential both

in terms of science and engineering from this region. It would solve a huge problem for the

Moss itself, restore a beautiful tourist attraction, bring global interest and investment and lead

to the export of jobs in the field as well. It is much more important and obviously not at all

destructive to the Moss as the proposed house development programme suggested so far.

There is the potential at conservative estimates for over 1,000,000 tonnes of Carbon to be

captured in Carrington Moss, even more if fully restored. That equates to the washing

machine and dryers being switched off in evert household in the whole of the UK once every

week for 2 years. The challenges and opportunities are enormous.

6 | P a g e

Are there any other key issues relating to economy you feel the Local Plan could

address?

Introduce alternative transport options so that the car culture of Trafford is limited: car

ownership here is higher than in almost any other borough in the country, 50% +. The

industrial base for alternative fuel ‘green’ options in Trafford is not mentioned nor is there

any clear sense of the importance or regenerating industry in this borough. The ‘coffee shop’

culture seen in a town centre like Altrincham is a farcical ‘gentrification’ of a once vibrant

town, now reliant upon a single culture economy, food, when the hospitals are filled with

cases of obesity.

Is there any other key evidence relating to economy you feel the Local Plan should have

regard to?

Cut the car parking fees in town centres and refocus away from the supermarkets. When B &

Q closed, and if Homebase also close, the souther portion of Trafford will have very few

valuable hardwarre and related merchants on which to call. The same could happen to

grocery and greengrocery provision when the supermarket food culture collapses, as will

happen one day.

Town centres and retail

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to town centres and retail is appropriate?

Regeneration of town centres by utilising unoccupied buildings and parts of buildings for

accommodation/housing should be considered. Control the spread of the supermarket. Cut

the business rate and offer affordable car-parking space. Control the flow of through-traffic

in Altrincham, enabling esssential services to access shops and markets. Cut the ‘out of

centre’ developments and control the damage of roads created simply to serve out of town

supermarkets. The Green Belt of the Sinderland/Dunham region is being destroyed by

creeping supermarket culture.

Are there any other key issues relating to town centres and retail you feel the Local Plan

could address?

Encourage a greater diversity of culture within town centres and bring together the key

facilities of books, music, art and popular culture that create a living environment for all

ages, rather than simply a place to shop and drink coffee. Introduce more green spaces,

grassed areas with trees, within town centres. Stop the endless round of demolition and

rebuilding.

Encourage more diversity of the small shop locally sourcing produce and goods. When B&Q

closed in Broadheath the hardware and related options were severely limited. Existing shops

are good but Homebase is in trouble and if that goes another dominant option disappears

which is why Trafford needs to be open to the opportunity for smaller dedicated businesses,

which means ‘cut the car parking’ fees and work towards reduction in business rates.

7 | P a g e

Is there any other key evidence relating to town centres and retail you feel the Local

Plan should have regard to?

Vandalism, lack of security, lack of police presence, litter, closure of police stations – only

one available for person-to-person contact in Stretford: totally inadequate. This raises

questions about what is happening to the precept paid in Council Tax for the police service.

Culture and tourism

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to culture and tourism is appropriate?

No. Trafford acts as if it has no history. There is nothing to identify the Roman Road (A56),

nor to explain what it has been historically throughout the ages, including its industrail past:

printing, photography, aviation, heavy engineering; nothing to show the historic connection

between Ashton-upon-Mersey, Carrington, Partington, Warburton and Lymm, areas from

which the North-East Cheshire medieval knights and men-at-arms came; nothing to show the

tourist/walking/ cycling routes through all these areas. Sale Waterside Local Studies is a

wonderful archival resource; but more that connects with that should be known and posted

throughout the borough. This whole subject is a huge area for tourist attraction and it is

hardly mentioned at all.

Are there any other key issues relating to culture and tourism you feel the Local Plan

could address?

It would be very useful if Trafford could produce official tourist guides easily accessible in

libraries and appointed shops possibly graded as ‘free’, ‘for sale’ and so forth. Residents as

well as visitors would find this extremely helpful. It is not necessarily that these don’t

already exist; they are just not visible which indicates the level of priority this aspect of the

cultural economy of Trafford holds at an official level. The idea that everything revolves

around sport (i.e. Manchester United) and coffee (Altrincham) is totally insufficient. The

problem is that, without a full commitment to the history, Trafford is simply a place without

any identity; and that is how it ‘feels’, simply a dormitory space for house-owners ‘passing

through’, en route to retirement.

Is there any other key evidence relating to culture and tourism you feel the Local Plan

should have regard to?

To repeat earlier comments: - The story of the industrial heritage of Broadheath is very

powerful and important since so mnay key inventions and important companies were based

there before England lost its industrial base in the 1980s.

A similar narrative for Trafford Park and the key industries of Avro, Westinghouse, etc. etc.

The connection of the cultural history between Warburton, Carrington, Dunham, Ashton and

Sale in the post-Norman Conquest period should be publicised. This could also provide a

wonderful walking, cycling tourist route for residents and visitors of all ages..

8 | P a g e

Inclusive Growth

Housing

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to housing is appropriate?

There is one key issue that is ignored: Housing must be tied to employment opportunites.

Partington and the Racecourse Estate, Stamford Brook etc. have all been built in areas totally

removed from the centres of employment and have suffered major social and economic

problems as a consequence. This happened to the Broomwood, too. Historically houses are

built where there is work. In other words town centres and the hinterland of key industries

are the locations that must be considered. The margins of supermarket carparks suggest

themselves as suitable for housing, too, large areas mostly unused.

Are there any other key issues relating to housing you feel the Local Plan could address?

Housing must not be constructed on compromised sites such as Carrington. (a) It is a peat

bog and should be reclaimed as such because population density, car ownership and carbon

pollution in Trafford is amongst the highest and worst for health related problems in the

country (Office for National Statistics) and (b) the site is toxic, poisoned. Housing should not

be constructed on sites such as Stamford Brook, already a problematic site socially and with

absolutely no work there. Housing should, I repeat, be tied to employment opportunities, not

simply ‘dumped’ in any seemingly available space. Trafford must also resist the pressures of

Greater Manchester to increase its housing stock simply to satisfy the quotas of somewhere

like Salford. Historically the two are totally distinct regions.

Is there any other key evidence relating to housing you feel the Local Plan should have

regard to?

Foreign investment in local housing must be curtailed. It is preventing local young people

from entering the housing market because apartments are being bought in bulk by foreiners

with absolutely no interest in the region or in the people who live here. It is also leading to a

permanent rental problem for many people.Block purchase of new apartments for rental must

be curtailed. Often ownership ends up in the hands of foregin investors or ‘out of town’

property companies. Trafford has a duty to maintain control of the whole housing stock to

ensure properties, when vacant, become available for local residents.

Inclusive neighbourhoods

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to inclusive neighbourhoods is appropriate?

9 | P a g e

In relation to gypsy and traveller sites, there always was a long-standing presence of gypsies

on Carrington Moss near the Sinderland end and that could be considered as a possibility.

The gypsies always understood the area and they moved with work and other events in their

culture at seasonal times. That is the only housing I would consider suitable on the Moss, but

away from any of the poisoned sites.

10 | P a g e

Are there any other key issues relating to inclusive neighbourhoods you feel the Local

Plan could address?

I take inclusive neighbourhoods to refer to a ‘holistic’ approach where work and home life

converge for everyone. One instance: Partington without any additional housing has little or

no employment once the railway, gas works and steel works disappeared; and I know of

many people who feel isolated there. Carrington Moss should become the centre for a new

‘industry’ focusing upon the remediation of a Peat Bog that is, basically, a huge problem for

Trafford; It is still regarded as ‘waste’ and defined as ‘useless’ in many eyes. It has a terrible

reputation as a result. It is not suitable for housing .

Those who know it know of a different Carrington which harks back to its geological

function as a Carbon capture resource or over 10,000 years and more. A new industry to

rebuild this mossland with a Centre for the Remediation of Damaqed Moss Land could

create really valuable jobs for a number of people trained in the sciences and engineering

required to restore a Peat Bog to its geological and natural function. This would also lead to

a focus for the communities who live in the neighbourhood in terms of identifying their

locality (see above for more).

Is there any other key evidence relating to inclusive neighbourhoods you feel the Local

Plan should have regard to?

A neighbourhood is only inclusive if it has a focus: the focus traditionally is in the

employment a region affords. Altrincham is a good example of what happens when

employment collapses: the current ‘gentrification’ with food ‘pods’, like multiple, isolated

capsules of coffee and aspirational ‘chefs’ is really a sad decline from the days when this

town centre buzzed with life, activity and ideas. Now every shop is offering food in the

middle of an obesity crisis and beyond the market’s stink of food nothing is happening

except for the rats..

Transport and accessibility

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to transport and accessibility is appropriate?

New cycling routes are essential. Trafford has some beautiful rural routes and main roads are

very dangerous.

The Metrolink should provide space for the transport of bicycles, too. This is a huge

limitation to the service they provide.

Curb the use of the car and be authoritative in this with all parties working in tandem on this

critical issue. Trafford has over 50% car ownership in relation to populationd density; and it

is one of the most densely populated areas of the UK, with the highest proportion in Gtr

Manchester.

11 | P a g e

Are there any other key issues relating to transport and accessibility you feel the Local

Plan could address?

HS2 is a red herring unless it also leads to freight travel by rail and less car usage and sees no

more road building. The country, let alone Trafford, is saturated and we have seen the

destruction of some of the finest farm land in the world with the construction of the M6 /

M56 Lymm Roundabout connecting link.

The Internet was intended to speed communcation via cyber links. And this begs the

question: why do business women and men need to travel in 1+ hour to London from

Manchester when they can connect via video-link in seconds? It only takes just under 2 hrs to

reach London, anyway, using Piccadilly.

HS2 is a waste of public funding when the existing rail system is desperately in need of

proper management and upgrading of systems – witness the chaos of Northern Rail. Every

route is a disaster in terms of management of the franchise. They drop train services literally

at a moment’s notice even at 9.30 p.m., leaving one (me) stranded on Bolton Station waiting

for a replacemt 11.00 p.m. bus.

12 | P a g e

Is there any other key evidence relating to transport and accessibility you feel the Local

Plan should have regard to?

We do not need expansion at Manchester Airport. It is a monstrous dinosaur. No doubt the

millions it gives to the Councils is a pleasant kick-back but the use of the site simply to feed

to package holiday market and the round-trip distant markets is only adding to the pollution

of the air above us here. It has destroyed countless acres of prime green belt; it likes to see

itself as a Northern Heathrow. It is not; and it is taking potential business away from other

norther airports. Most emphatically it must not be allowed to creep into the Hale/Thorley

Lane/South Timperley Green Belt, which we know has been a long-standing ambition. It has

eaten into the Cheshire countryside.

Design and place shaping

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to design and place shaping is appropriate?

Much of this and what follows have been dealt with in earlier comments.

Are there any other key issues relating to design and place shaping you feel the Local

Plan could address?

Is there any other key evidence relating to design and place shaping you feel the Local

Plan should have regard to?

13 | P a g e

Infrastructure and planning obligations

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to infrastructure and planning obligations is appropriate?

Are there any other key issues relating to infrastructure and planning obligations you feel

the Local Plan could address?

Is there any other key evidence relating to infrastructure and planning obligations you

feel the Local Plan should have regard to?

14 | P a g e

Environmental sustainability

Climate Change

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to climate change is appropriate?

No. This is a key limitation to the whole document for, within the above transport, economic

and housing concerns, the language used does not specify what is meant by renewables and

‘low carbon generation’. Certainly the air quality in Trafford is frankly disgusting on many

occasions with a blue plume hovering over the A56 approaching Broadheath. How on earth a

nursery was given permission to operate at the Viaduct junction is beyond comprehension,

situated on the worst of the pollution blackspots along that route.

The principles stated for pollution reduction are sound but this needs to be enshrined in

planning decisions and not left to commercially introduced ‘experts’ in the pay of

developers.

I refer to comments above about the role of Carrington Moss as Peat Bog in this regard too.

Are there any other key issues relating to climate change you feel the Local Plan could

address?

Carbon reduction in Council offices and in street lighting. Trafford, as part of Gtr

Manchester, is a wasteful borough. Night lights along streets burn throughout the night. The

carbon footprint annually must be huge.

Is there any other key evidence relating to climate change you feel the Local Plan should

have regard to?

15 | P a g e

Water

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to water is appropriate?

At Carrington Moss the drains that skirt the fields show serious contamination from ethylene

pollution leading from the former Shell site. The Moss is a natural reserve and is a matter

which should be addressed urgently.

The Bridgewater Canal, whilst not a ‘water course’ in the natural scheme, often suffers from

discharge of oils presumably from the boating community, which hangs as a foul-smelling

scum on the waters along the whole stretch from Broadheath to Dane Road and beyond. This

is the home of swans, cormorants, ducks, wading birds, herons, water-fowl of all kinds and

sometimes the water-loving dogs who dive in for fun. This is a serious issue and must be

addressed because it is a very popular waterway through the whole borough for people of all

ages.

Is there any other key issues relating to water you feel the Local Plan could address?

In planning approvals you need to have a more comprehensive understanding of flood risk in

the region. The fact that the Environment Agency does not classify a site as medium or high

flood risk does not mean the development does not have an impact on other sites and

properties in an area. Any development along the water courses such as Baguley Brook,

Timperley Brook, Sinderland Brook turning into Red Brook is bound to impact upon

upstream sites and existing developments. Hitherto the flood risk is only considered in very

short-sighted terms. The most obvious instance of this is that misguided plans to build on

Carrington Moss present ‘no flood risk’; even the Environment Agency app is used to

support this belief. It is totally erroneous: the whole region is in danger of flood if Carrington

Moss is developed. It is, and has been historically, the saviour of the densely populated

regions east of it precisely because it has always been the sponge soaking up excess

rainwater. In other words, Trafford’s planners need a comprehensive vision of the

waterways and flood risks of the region and should not rely upon desk-based apps.

16 | P a g e

Are there any other key evidence base relating to water you feel the Local Plan should

have regard to?

Cleanse the water courses within Carrington Moss starting with the ‘secure site’. There is an

enormous amount of pollution to water courses and standing water at the Partington end and

elsewhere across the Moss.

Do testing to ensure that when highways construction workers resurface roads they also

leave the run-offs into sewers free-flowing. Often they leave the drainage system in a worse

state than when they began (corner of Washway Road/The Drive M33 4JH).

Minerals and waste

Do you agree that the Local Plan should include policies on minerals and waste,

signposting to the Joint Minerals and Joint Waste plan respectively?

Past and Present Experience in relation to the waste resulting from the industrialisation of

parts of Carrington Moss reveal that there is little evidence of any substantial pollcy on

minerals and waste in the Trafford region, other than in the areas easily seen because they are

densely populated. Greater Manchester has a very poor record in cleansing industrial and

other effluent and the language of ‘signposting’ simply sounds rather like a fudge,

meaningless.

Historic environment

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to historic environment is appropriate?

One would have serious concerns in this matter. How long has Trafford allowed Watling

Gate House to perish at the hands of drug addicts and vandals, a Grade II listed building

allowed by the Council to fall into a dreadful state over the past 18 years, an example either

of cynicism or laziness or worse in terms of heritage management. The consequence is that it

will cost a fortune to restore when, just 15/18 years ago it was habitable. Examples like this

simply lead to profound cynicism and disbelief among the population that the Council

actually cares about anything; and that frustrates any genuine council-driven attempt to

remedy many problems. Altrincham has been well nigh ruined by appalling development;

Sale suffers because it is losing all its character and Stretford – well, what can one say about

the waste land either side of the A56 through Stretford.

Certainly historic buildings should be preserved but the heritage also means the landscape,

the historic landscape as well, not just the Town Hall, a few Bowdon houses, the odd church:

it is the heritage of the place and preservation of that as much as the houses.

17 | P a g e

Are there any other key issues relating to historic environment you feel the Local Plan

could address?

See above remakrs re-Carrington, Warburton, Ashton-upon-Mersey and Sale form part of a

complex historical narrative dating back to pre-Norman times but highlighted in the well-

archived material hereabouts, in Chester and at National Archives; and the landscape of this

predominantly rural area should be retrieved, saved and seen as a great opportunity in terms

of tourism and as an educational resource.

18 | P a g e

Is there any other key evidence relating to historic environment you feel the Local Plan

should have regard to?

Natural environment

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to natural environment is appropriate?

The importance of the natural environment runs throughout the whole of this statement I am

making. Trafford has to face very serious questions as to why the Green Belt and natural

spaces are gradually being destroyed. One can see that, in the combined authorities of

Greater Manchester, there are members who think Trafford ‘has had it too good’ for too

long. That popular view has shaped attitudes within Greater Manchester and it is clear that

some officials believe that Trafford is ‘ripe for the taking’. Salford’s attitude reflects that –

prime location for the housing they want to ‘dump’ on the Green Belt here. That is a wrong

approach and it emphasises the importance of a local council at Trafford that actually cares

about the natural environment. Wholesale destruction of trees for development, the terrible

waste of the Mersey Valley and trashing of it under Trafford’s watch: - there is too much

damage simply to let this issue pass.

Are there any other key issues relating to natural environment you feel the Local Plan

could address?

Trafford should make much more in publicity about the whole of the Green Belt and natural

spaces here. It is insufficient to publicise Dunham Massey. For those of us who know the

area from long ago, there is far, far more to this region that just Dunham Massey and it is

time that the Green Belt between Hale and Timperley and Ringway, the

Dunham/Bowdon/Hale Ridge, the Warburton, Partington(Lock Lane), Carrington, Ashton-

on-Mersey village, Mersey Valley link were all highlighted and shown in relation to the

parklands and remaining ( few as they) houses associated with these regions. The natural

environment is tied to the Roman origins and earlier, the Saxon and Norman following

histories, through to the Civil War and finally into the Industrial Revolution – histories, all of

which have helped shaped the natural environment. And there wasn’t a coffee house to be

seen, either.,

19 | P a g e

Is there any other key evidence relating to natural environment you feel the Local Plan

should have regard to?

The accumulative evidence that shows a solid natural environment, protected and respected

at every level, aids the health of society and provides the necessary spaces for wildlife to

flourish should be a prime consideration. There is more to life than money and the housing

precept.

20 | P a g e

Green infrastructure

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to green infrastructure is appropriate?

The very phrase ‘green infrastructure’ indicates your problem: - the green space was here

long before the suburban sprawl which is what you identify with, without saying as much.

Historically houses were built where there was work and the ‘green infrastructure’ remained

untouched. Now every piece of green space is ‘ripe for the taking’ if the developers make the

right noises – Stamford Brook is a case, sitting on the edge of a bog, and totally removed

from any worthwhile employment. The strategy as here described in your ‘plans’, itemising

individual points without any clear vision of where the employment is going to be, what kind

of employment it is going to be, and how all this fits with the inherent value of the ‘green

infrastructure’ is at a minimal stage of development in Trafford. The area has still not

recognised that without a manufacturing base it is going nowhere. New supermarkets do not

replace industries that export globablly. If that industrial initiative did happen, then the green

spaces would have no problem.

Are there any other key issues relating to green infrastructure you feel the Local Plan

could address?

Is there any other key evidence relating to green infrastructure you feel the Local Plan

should have regard to?

21 | P a g e

Open space, sport and recreation

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to open space, sport and recreation is appropriate?

You need to be careful in providing more floodlit sports’ facilities. Look at the satellite

images of Manchester’s region by night and see the light pollution. That is the last thing we

need to see added. Quite apart from the damage to wildlife (bats, hedgehogs, foxes, voles ,

owls, etc. etc.) we see a nightsky floodlit like a Christmas Tree year-long. It is a ridiculous

waste of energy when our carbon footprint is enormously damaging to the world in which we

live.

A suggestion: use the enclosed sports facilities of local schools instead of destroying green

space outside them. For 2/3rds of the year school facilities are completely wasted.

Do not on any account introduce plastic grass, the most ridiculous concept ever dreamt by

man .

22 | P a g e

Are there any other key issues relating to open space, sport and recreation you feel the

Local Plan could address?

Is there any other key evidence relating to open space, sport and recreation you feel the

Local Plan should have regard to?

Green belt and countryside

Do you think the key issues identified and how the Local Plan could address the key

issues in relation to Green Belt and countryside is appropriate?

Yes. I began by criticising the whole concept of this Local Plan vocabulary and return to it

here because these boxes are simply confusing and possibly deliberately confusing issues

around the natural environemnt (forget the ‘Green Infrastructure, Green Belt, Green Spaces

jargon).

We live on the same planet as the animals, birds, fish, insects, trees,grasses and other

vegetation; we live on a complex geological system that feeds all of us.

In other words, this vocabulary is simply a reflection of confusion where people with

decision-making responsibilities do not wish to address some key problems: leave the natural

world alone; build your houses around the work that people can do; respect the whole natural

environment and do not be pushed by inner city council officials to bow to their demands

even if it means you lose their support at regional level. Trafford needs to be more

independent, proactive to protect the natural world, the open spaces, the woodland, heaths,

mosslands and so forth.

Are there any other key issues relating to Green Belt and countryside you feel the Local

Plan could address?

23 | P a g e

24 | P a g e

Is there any other key evidence relating to Green Belt and countryside you feel the Local

Plan should have regard to?

Summary questions:

Do you agree with the policy themes covered by the Local Plan

Are there any other policy themes that should be covered in the Local Plan?

Do you have any other comments to make on the Issues Paper?

Fundamentally, this ISSUES PAPER suggests a huge problem within Greater Manchester and

Trafford: - so much suffers from generalisation. The problem is that Trafford, for example,

has had years to come up with answers to most of these questions and the chance to consult,

but still Trafford has one of the highest density of population in the country per sq. km.; one

of the highest car ownerships in the country, and hence one of the highest pollution levels in

the country, with one of the most congested roads in the country (A56); with town centres

struggling still for an identity (Altrincham filled with cappuccino top-up shops, and not much

else). The problem is Greater Manchester is too big, too unwieldy, too messy with too many

confusions so that no one with the remit actually does anything except talk. Trafford needs to

take more control of its own boundaries. There are some great opportunities but often one can

tell one is talking to people who are not listening at Council level. Their eyes glaze over.

Some do at local level; but at planning and development level, there are huge problems. I

once mentioned a well-known historical point to a Trafford official about an aspect of

Altrincham’s health and sewage history: ‘Oh, I didn’t know that’. Another occasion: talking

about Carrington, ‘Oh, yes, that’s the industrial site, isn’t it? I’ve never been there.’ One

despairs sometimes!

25 | P a g e