A DEVELOPER has unveiled revised plans to create a new community park in Stalybridge.
However, to fund Tame Valley Park on the site of Hartshead Power Station and Millbrook Sidings, the Casey Group would build 162 new homes, the minimum needed for the plan to proceed.
Casey Group has opened a virtual consultation which will run until Sunday, February 7 for the community to provide feedback on the proposal which has previously been opposed by many residents.
Their vision is to create a new community park with a sustainable plan to manage the area and enhance the woodland, and formalise access to footpaths, facilities and amenities.
The proposed project will consist of a new 62-acre community park, including a community hub with allotments, a community garden and outdoor play area and improvements to the existing woodland – alongside 162 new homes.
The Casey Group’s plans have been developed with feedback and insight gained from a previous consultation and they welcome the community’s feedback on their new proposals.
“We are committed to delivering a unique legacy for the area and to working openly and transparently with the community,” they said in a statement.
With Covid restrictions on gathering indoors, the consultation is being organised online via a new website – tamevalleypark.co.uk – which is open now until the consultation closes on midnight Sunday, February 7.
The consultation website will also be hosting live question-and-answer sessions with the project team so the community will be able to speak directly to them in the absence of a physical event.
In addition to creating new homes and the park, the proposals will make the site safe from the dangerous remnants of its industrial past.
The former Hartshead Power Station closed in 1979 and most of the structures were demolished by 1989. However, the public do not have access to the site because it is still derelict and unsafe.
And where people can roam, Casey Group said many potential dangers remain hidden within the self-seeded vegetation including exposed culverts, tunnels and manholes. The new proposals will address these issues and create a community owned space with the resources to sustain it.
However, Casey Group said this needs to be cross funded through a high-quality residential development. As well as homes for private sale, this will include shared ownership and rent-to-buy properties that will be delivered in partnership with Trafford Housing Trust.
Neil Pickering, from Casey Group, said: “We are really excited to share our proposals for the former Hartshead Power Station and Millbrook Sidings with the community. Our vision is to regenerate the site and improve the environment and facilities for the wider public benefit.
“We have taken the views of the local community seriously and we have drawn a lot from past public consultations. From concerns about the delivery of the park to the number of new homes, this knowledge has fundamentally shaped our current proposals.
“Because of the public’s input, we’ve created a robust management plan to ensure the park is fully funded and sustainable for the future. We have reduced the number of homes that had previously been suggested and will ensure that the homes and park are developed at the same time.
On the consultation, he added: “We would have liked to organise a similar consultation to the one we held in 2017 in a local community centre. However, given the restrictions from Covid-19, we felt that it would be safer and more appropriate to hold the consultation online. And to ensure as many people can respond to our consultation, we will be keeping it open until midnight on Sunday, February 7.
“We encourage the community to take a look at our plans on the consultation website and let us know their thoughts.”
The online consultation is available to view at tamevalleypark.co.uk where the proposal details can be found. On the website there is also a feedback form where residents can leave their views for the project team to consider.
- The live consultation Q&A’s are taking place:
- Tuesday, February 2: 8am-noon
- Wednesday, February 3: 11am-3pm
- Thursday, February 4: 4pm- 8pm
If anyone is unable to view the consultation online, they can contact the project team through email info@tamevalleypark.co.uk or by phone 07714 307 976.
- In 2011, Casey submitted a planning application to try to resolve the legacy issues of the site, but the proposals were too complicated and did not provide certainty in terms of long-term ownership and the viable operation of new open spaces.
Casey re-consulted the community in 2017 with a more focused proposition that deals with the land that Casey owns and controls and provide more clarity on the park and homes that will enable the park to be delivered.
That proposal was for 197 homes and was opposed by many residents while Councillor Clive Patrick described plans to create a country park as a “smokescreen to build 200 homes”.
“There are reservoirs and moors all around us, and I don’t believe we need a country park, and it is a complete and utter scam. The country park is a way of browbeating us and cover to build homes,” he said at the time.
about time it’s a disgrace and dumping ground unsafe I won’t walk alone there ar the moment .. looking forward to a beautiful area instead of an eyesore ???
162 houses with single access route via Crowswood Drive, no thought given to the residents of Churchfields Estate. With an average of 2 cars per household just think of the amount of traffic trying to exit Crowswood drive onto Huddersfield Road at Peak times.
I’m not against progress and fully understand the need for additional housing, Casey have taken the cheaper route when they should have developed another road or upgraded Grove Road.
Just the same argument when the Churchfields estate was being planned. Buyers weren’t bothered about the natives then.
It’s difficult enough trying to get out of Heyrod to school and work during rush hour now with the amount of traffic. Hard enough getting a doctors appointment and schools are already bursting and overrun without adding more housing to the area. We don’t have the services or infrastructure to support this much more residents and traffic
What about council/housing association propites.
New charter build, but they aren’t affordable I point to the flats in Stalybridge that was the old gym, new charter properties but run by a estate agent at £650pcm hows that affordable
Not much improvement since the last proposal.
1. We get flooding at the bottom of Crowswood Drive.
2. One entrance and exit onto Crowswood Drive and then Huddersfield Road for an additional 162×2 cars doesn’t make sense.
3. The level of traffic on Huddersfield road on most days will only get worse. Especially at the junction of Grove Road where we have had flooding in the past and disruption every year due to vehicles not being able to get up the steep incline when it snows.
The main issue is the access road and volume of traffic on Huddersfield road. This was raised at both previous consultations and has still been ignored. This will affect all residents of Carrbrook and Millbrook at Peak times, we aren’t going to be in lockdown for ever., traffic will resume. Just to be clear peak times are 7.30 am to 9.30 am and 4pm to 6pm . Why was the traffic survey taken at midday? Why can’t Printworks Road or Spring Bank/Grove roads be developed taking traffic via Wakefield Road? Sort out the access road away from Crowswood Drive and Huddersfield road then I think there is a way forward.
There’s enough traffic coming along Wakefield Road with vehicles coming in their droves from Mossley and vehicles cutting through from Millbrook. Why not raise the age for driving to 21 and get the old duffers off the road at 65 years old. That will sort out the excess vehicles which are on the road.
What about the wild life .there are sparrow hawks.green woodpeckers I’ve seen tawny owls .bullfinch hundreds of long tailed tits. yesterday I saw a pair of peregrine Falcons soaring low over the old sidings yard.there are deer living there.and all kinds of other wildlife.where do they end up in all this.
Not great for those who will leave near a footpath leading to a busy park. More noise and more traffic pollution near our family home.
The idea of having a community garden as a quid pro quo for the housing development doesn’t work. The proposal seems to suggest the upkeep of the community hub will eventually be down to the council i.e. taxpayers. Its a burden/cost I wouldn’t want the council to undertake in the current climate. Also on past developments in Tameside I’ve noticed developers not fully committing to the infrastructure development part of the contract once the housing has been built i.e. promises to build play areas , parking.
It would be nice to utilise this dangerous and unsightly area. The park would be nice for our family and a short walk from Heyrod. Obviously there would need to be improvements made to grove road and there would need to be consideration made regarding access onto Huddersfield road which would definitely become a bottle neck.
Being a local resident in Millbrook for many years has brought disappointment in several ways, firstly our green and pleasant land was tarnished when the estate at Crowswood drive was developed with quickly erected overpriced dwellings , this became a strain on the local infrastructure, demand on local drainage and the demand for more power for these homes, and then the fact that local people had to deal with more traffic generating more emissions and tearing up roads that were designed many years ago, local residents had to justify why they thought their children should attend local schools before non native families and in some cases lost their right and in turn had te send their kids further affield, then Millbrook centre itself was regenerated with a complex of apartments and a terrace houses on Grove Road, another road designed for horse and carts many years ago, now there are 29 or so dwellings being erected at the site between Crowswood dr and staly cricket club more strain on a local VILLAGE, there are also plans to redevelop the old Heritage House site on the opposite side of the road, I have slowly watched this lovely village deteriorate and the wildlife clearly is being affected, many species that lived alongside us has declined and this is directly linked to redevelopment, many of us are encouraged to live a much greener cleaner life and reduce our footprint in many ways , we are going to be encouraged or even forced to buy hybrid or fully electric cars in the very near future so all these houses and businesses are going to be serviced for this which means ripping up highway and walkways to accommodate the supplies and services to their properties, and when developers and councils have finished erecting another massive estate and they head off to their houses that are not local and no doubt in rural untouchable areas unaffected by developers we must think on if this is for local people or revenue and profit, by all means redevelop this site but what about a country park and allotment type spaces so that the already over populated village residents can become more self sufficient and live the healthy green lifestyle that the very councils and authorities so strongly recommend, ask yourself the all important question , what comes next , we never hear of local people getting the chance to oppose to the plans of a country park or alike without the mention of lots of houses being dropped into the plan, this village won’t be so called if more houses are forced upon us, it will become a town.
Don’t let these vampires take charge , they want to suck the land dry build cheap card board crap of houses demolish wild life homes , such as badges , deer , moles , bats , and many more they are scum bags that want every last penny and build low quality scum of houses , they are like the government promise something and never deliver , they don’t care about the land they just want money and profit that’s theyre god money , it’s disgusting how people can destroy wild life and nature for money which is worthless compared to this land leave it bee
Firstly the area covered by this proposal is designated green belt and to be developed there has to be proof that exceptional circumstances exist . Nothing in this proposal proves this . Caseys environmental record is poor and that’s being kind . . The main issues on Millbrook sidings are failure to maintain listed buildings , removal of safety caps by Case you, failure to prevent off readers entering the area , sending in a terrier man to remove badgers fortunately unsuccessful .
I have walked this area for over 30 years and do not agree with folks who are of the opinion it is not worth saving . During the recent coving restrictions it has been extensively used by walkers some who may not be able to manage hills , horse riders , families, cyclists etc and has a proven environmental value . The trees that have regenerated the area deal with emissions from increasing traffic on Wakefield Rd and Huddersfield Rd . And it is a massive water soak off area .
There is plenty of wildlife and given time you will see it deer , buzzards , herons , jays , foxes , badgers to name a few . There are over 40 species of wild flowers It is s a natural safer route for wildlife through the valley . Make no mistake our wildlife is seriously under threat .
To create a park which we all ready have in reality requires the building of over 160 unaffordable houses which do nothing to alleviate housing issues for locals . Millbrook Conservation Area will be seriously be affected and it’s historical legacy will be lost as it is engulfed by development .
There are no infrastructures improvements proposed therefore more pressure on roads., schools, dentists , doctors etc .
Don’t fall for the glossy hyp it’s significant to note that the houses have to be built to fund the park , allotments etc . Once built it only takes an amendment to the planning application to remove all the promised benefits and once it’s under concrete it’s lost to all