Shed,
What was so insensitive about MAN777's comment?
I found it a legitimate example that out of thousands upon thousands of movements, there has only been that 1 incident that occurred within the last very few seconds of landing at MAN.
At the end of the day, an air crash is not going to be pretty wherever it happens. As you rightly point out, a minute or 2 earlier and the aircraft will come down on Stockport. What's worse for fatalities, a housing estate or a car park? Given this too has happened at MAN, should a large swathe of housing under the final approach at MAN be wiped 'just incase'? Without wishing to sound distasteful, an air crash into a field is still likely to cause a he'll of an explosion, 9000 cars or not, an explosion of any scale can be catastrophic.
As I've pointed out, there are many cases of car parks amongst the landing lights of airports, LHR and LGW are UK examples, San Diego even has a multi storey plonked at the end of its runway!
As others have said, I'm sure all the H&S bodies have taken all into account, and in the UK's very stringent H&S world, I'm sure it was checked and double checked.