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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
[email protected] 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
[email protected] 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and e-mail address will not be published, but your name and organisation (if relevant) will.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
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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..
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.,
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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.
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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?
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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 .
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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?
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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!
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