A PUBLIC inquiry being held into controversial land in Mobberley has heard the site will never be suitable for housing, due to the noise of aircraft.

The three-day hearing began on Tuesday, March 1, and is considering a planning application appeal on behalf of Michael Maloney and his family.

Members of the Traveller community, the family moved on to the site in August 2020, after being made homeless due to an arson attack on their previous home.

Retrospective planning permission was applied for by Mr Maloney for three caravan pitches, but that was rejected by Cheshire East Council in December 2020.

Mr Maloney was also handed a suspended sentence after he was found guilty of being in contempt for breaching the terms of an injunction stopping him from developing the land.

One of the reasons why the application was refused was on the basis of the noise levels at the site, with it being in the direct flight path of Manchester Airport.

Knutsford Guardian:

The site (pinned red) is in the direct flight path of Manchester Airport

Alison Heine, representing Mr Maloney, acknowledged the noise levels would never be within permitted levels, but suggested the decision to live there was a matter for the family themselves.

She said: "There is little that can be done about the noise.

"The family moved on to the land when they suddenly found themselves homeless.

"They were desperate and feared for their lives at the beginning of the pandemic.

"There is no other suitable accommodation for them.

"Travellers are very low maintenance and they spend much of the summer months travelling and use the site for wintering.

"In my view the family are in the best place to view the potential impact on their health.

"They wouldn't be pursuing this appeal if that wasn the case.

"I would ask that you consider granting temporary permission to allow for future assessment."

However, Matthew Henderson, representing Cheshire East, said the noise levels represented unacceptable living conditions and posed a serious risk to health.

He said: "These levels are not capable of any practical mitigation.

"They far exceed acceptable noise levels.

"There is evidence they will have an adverse impact on health.

"Noise levels such as these are deemed unacceptable to new housing developments."

Helene Evans, an acoustics expert and Mobberley resident for the last 14 years, also provided evidence to the hearing, saying the sound levels indoors at the site were four times greater than was considered healthy.

"Acceptable internal noise levels can never be achieved, ever," she said.

"It's just going to get worse when runway two at Manchester Airport comes back into use.

"There's no way any houses should be built within this sound envelope."

The inquiry continues.