Residents of Dairyhouse Lane in Broadheath are opposing a draft Trafford local plan that allocates a large green space off their road for 12,000sqm of industrial and warehousing floorspace. The land, which is not in the green belt, is earmarked for development, but locals say it would 'absolutely not work' and they 'do not want any more'.
Residents' Concerns
Lynne Whalley, 79, who has lived in the street for 59 years, said: “No, we don’t want that. We've got enough traffic here and it's the wildlife and everything. We've got to think of that first. When I first moved here 59 years ago, it was all fields and cows and things like that. Years ago when we had cows over there and they got out, we used to put them back in. But it has all been built on there. We don't want any more. No, no way.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said building on the land would 'absolutely not work' because the road is a slow lane with horses often using it, and lorries would not be suitable. She added: “We've already got a few lorries coming down, but no, we're just not set up for that. It's just very much a family place, families come down along with as well on the bikes.”
Local Politicians React
Liberal Democrat ward councillor Ulrich Savary said: "What we have here is an area of land the size of around seven football pitches that has been earmarked for warehouses and industrial development. But this isn’t just an empty green space. It contains woodland, peat that is important in tackling climate change, and valuable wildlife habitat. We could end up with huge warehouses here, with all the extra traffic and environmental damage they would bring, but very little benefit to the local community. Dairyhouse Lane and our local roads are already heavily congested, yet Labour-run Trafford Council believes we can simply add even more HGV and traffic to them. Trafford Labour increasingly treats Broadheath as a dumping ground for bad projects. Residents are expected to put up with the consequences while Labour pushes ahead regardless."
Conservative councillor Kaushik Chakraborty added: “I think this is madness. Once gone, this green field will be gone forever. We need to protect our green spaces and adopt a brownfield first approach.”
Council's Position
A spokesman for Trafford council said: "The council has published a draft local plan to guide future development in the area and to ensure that the borough has sufficient space for the homes and jobs that will be needed in future years. The land at Dairyhouse Lane lies immediately next to the existing Broadheath Industrial Estate and is allocated in the new Local Plan for industrial and warehouse development. The land is currently undeveloped but is not located within the green belt and it is connected to the main A56 by George Richards Way. The site has been earmarked for employment use since 2006 and featured in the previous Local plan consultations in February 2021 and September 2025. The Local Plan is currently open for public comment. The period for comment commenced on 6 August 2026 and closes on 11:59pm on 18 September 2026."
Residents are currently able to comment on the 'soundness' of the plan, assessing whether it meets needs and is appropriate, justified, deliverable and consistent with national policy. It then needs to be submitted to the Government's planning inspectorate for consideration by the end of the year.
