FLIXTON campaigners fighting plans to build hundreds of homes on green belt land claim Altrincham should have been considered – and chosen – for the scheme.

The Save Flixton Green Belt group are lobbying the council to abandon its plans to erect 750 houses on land at Flixton station, which includes part of the soon-to-be closed William Wroe Golf Course.

The authority intends to move the green belt boundary as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) proposals, meaning Grade II-listed Flixton House and the playing fields would be declassified.

The group - which boasts close to 5,000 members - is building a case to challenge the council’s proposal, with the help of landscape architect Matt Goddard.

They said that, whilst they believe houses should not be built on any green belt land,  the selection process was “flawed and opaque”.

Using the same selection criteria that identified Flixton as a site, campaigners said Altrincham emerged the far superior choice.

With regards to the number of golf courses, Altrincham has four as opposed to Flixton’s two (taking into the account the imminent closure of William Wroe).

Close proximity to proposed GMSF developments to allow for infrastructure was also a consideration and on this point Flixton and Altrincham are on a par – to Carrington and Davenport Green, respectively.

The third important checkpoint was transport links. The group argued that Flixton’s once-hourly weekday train service cannot compare to Altrincham Interchange, which offers regular bus, train and tram services.

The group said that when they challenged the leader of Trafford Council Cllr Sean Anstee on site selection, they were told that the Davenport Green development was already on the cards for Altrincham.

But Save Flixton Green Belt have refuted this, saying it cannot be considered an Altrincham development as it is located almost three miles from the town centre.

“Why wasn’t Altrincham chosen? It is by far the better option for any housing development under this plan,” said a Save Flixton Green Belt spokesperson.

“Why were no documents or minutes produced by the planners scoring possible sites on this flawed selection criteria made available for public perusal?”

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Prior to the consideration of green belt release, the options of increasing development densities in well-connected urban locations; and engaging with districts adjoining Greater Manchester authorities to ascertain whether Greater Manchester’s housing needs could be met in their districts were explored.

“Neither of these options provided a complete solution, however both of these options will continue to be explored as the plan progresses forward.

“Therefore, given the lack of opportunities to accommodate the objectively assessed need for housing, across Greater Manchester and also specifically within Trafford, consideration was given to the appropriateness of seeking to accommodate this growth by minimal release of green belt.

“The approach to selecting sites for release from the green belt is to maximise their sustainability by focusing on a relatively small number of large scale sites, allowing the creation of new neighbourhoods which would be accompanied with new infrastructure such as roads, expanded schools and improved public transport and health facilities.

“The approach adopted to date is consistent with national planning policies set out within the NPPF. Trafford Council has a strong track record of bringing brownfield or sites within the existing urban area forward for development and is committed to supporting this approach in future.”