Keep Ashley Green

Comprehensive analysis of material planning grounds, legal precedents, and environmental data to support your formal objection to Cheshire East Council.

Five Pillars of Our Case

Our campaign focuses on key planning principles that protect Ashley's unique character and future.

Green Belt

A. North Cheshire Green Belt & 'Wash-Over' Status

  • Wash-Over Green Belt: The parish of Ashley is designated as 'wash-over' Green Belt—the most protective form of rural Green Belt classification.

  • Regional Strategic Buffer: Established in the 1950s specifically to prevent urban sprawl, Ashley forms the crucial narrow green buffer separating South Manchester and Trafford (Hale, Hale Barns, Altrincham) from villages & towns in Cheshire East (Mobberley, Knutsford).

  • Failure of the National 'Grey Belt' Test: Under national policy, Green Belt land can only be considered for release if it meets the definition of 'Grey Belt' (previously developed brownfield land or land that makes a negligible contribution to Green Belt purposes). Open, working farmland across Ashley fails this test.

  • Direct Conflict with Core Green Belt Purposes (NPPF):

    • Purpose A (Check Unrestricted Sprawl): Serves as the primary barrier preventing the Manchester conurbation from expanding southwards.

    • Purpose B (Prevent Towns Merging): Building across these 291.03 hectares would physically merge Greater Manchester settlements with Cheshire villages.

    • Purpose C (Safeguard the Countryside): Protects active, open agricultural land from suburban encroachment. Protecting this land aligns with national policy to preserve prime agricultural resources.

Agricultural land Farming
Agricultural land Farming

Farm Land

B. Best & Most Versatile (BMV) Agricultural Land

  • Proven Soil Quality: Detailed field data (including published soil sampling for the HS2 Phase 2b Environmental Statement MA06) confirms that Ashley’s farmland contains extensive Grade 2 (BMV) land on lighter Wick 1 soils near river terraces, and Subgrade 3a (BMV) land where topsoil consists of Medium Clay Loam over Salop boulder clay.

  • National Policy Protection: The NPPF requires local authorities to prioritize the protection of high-grade farmland (Grades 1, 2, and 3a) for national food security over greenfield development.

Countryside sunset
Countryside sunset

Local Beauty

C. Landscape & Natural Environment Designations

  • Local Landscape Designations (LLDs):

    • Bollin Valley and Parklands LLD (BVP-LLD)

    • Rostherne / Tatton Park LLD (RT-LLD): Protects the immediate visual setting of historic estate landscapes.

    • Bollin Valley Partnership Area: Focuses active protection on the River Bollin stretch running directly through Ashley.

  • Ecology & Ancient Woodland:

    • Cotterill Clough Nature Reserve: A 14-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

    • Protected Coverts & Woods: Includes Sunbank Wood, Hancock’s Banks, Ryecroft Covert, Lamb’s Covert, Hardy’s Covert, and Jackson’s Bank.

    • Protected Species Corridors: Documented habitats for bats, owls, badgers, and Great Crested Newts.

    • Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs): Comprehensive TPO protection across historic field margins and estate tree belts.

St Elizabeth's Ashley church
St Elizabeth's Ashley church

History

D. Heritage & Historical Assets

  • 19 Grade II Listed Buildings: Structures of national importance whose open countryside settings are legally protected from detrimental development.

  • Ashley Hall Estate: Features historic remnants of Roman ironworks, a 13th-century hunting lodge, a 1490 hall associated with Mary Queen of Scots, and historic grounds of the Brereton family.

  • Local Heritage Landmarks: Includes the 12th-century fortification near Castle Mill Farm, The Rookery, and Midways (historic Arts & Crafts house).

  • Historic Landscape Character: Preserved field patterns, estate boundaries, and ancient hedgerows associated with the historic Tatton Estate under Lord Egerton.

Ashley railway line
Ashley railway line

Infrastructure

E. Infrastructure & Operational Constraints

  • Inadequate Rail Connections: Ashley train station lacks the service capacity needed for sustainable transit. It operates on a maximum frequency of just one train per hour in each direction. Furthermore, with the planned new station at Cheadle progressing (it has planning permission and is fully funded), prospective service reallocations would reduce Ashley’s service frequency to a single train every two hours, rendering rail commuting unfeasible for new residents.

  • Highways & Bottlenecks: Local access relies on narrow rural lanes hindered by restricted railway bridges, acute physical pinch points, and severe existing congestion towards the A538 and M56.

  • Manchester Airport Proximity: The land falls directly within flight path operational noise contours and bird-strike hazard safety zones, making high-density housing unsuitable.

  • Drainage & Utilities: The area lacks deep sewer, grid, and surface water drainage capacity, presenting high surface-water flood risks to the River Bollin catchment.