Council set to decide on Mossley homes proposal

PLANS to build 17 new homes in an industrial area of Mossley have been recommended for refusal.

An application has been made to Tameside Council to convert the site on Manchester Road,
which currently stores caravans, into a new residential estate.

The applicants, Mrs A Jones and Mrs A Bradbury, propose to develop the area close to the Roaches Lock pub with a mix of detached and semi-detached houses – with most of the properties having two off-street car parking spaces.

There would also be a new access road built from the industrial estate, which would form a cul-de-sac with a turning facility, including two shared driveways.

Twelve letters of objection have been received by residents, who cite “insufficient” parking provision, the removal of trees, a lack of caravan storage elsewhere in Tameside, and “considerable increase in traffic on an already busy highway with poor visibility”.

Two people submitted letters of support, stating that removing the “currently unsightly” caravan
storage would be a positive, developing brownfield land is welcomed and building 17 houses would have “only a minimal impact” on infrastructure.

View of site retaining wall from Manchester Road, northward direction

According to planning documents, Mossley Town Council acknowledges the need to allocate
housing land but feels the benefits of development for housing “do not outweigh the loss of a significant amount of employment land, for which there is a proven need and demand”.

The Town Council also highlighted the land is “inappropriate” for residential development
because its former use for industrial purposes has “left a legacy of contamination”.

Local councillors Tafheen Sharif and Stephen Homer are also against the plans, expressing
they are keen to see the site be retained as employment space, and believe there is a need for such areas in the town to attract employment.

Documents state that Cllr Sharif, the Executive Member for Population Health and Wellbeing,
understands development will be built on land previously occupied by gas works, and a planning
application was refused many years ago for caravans for residential purposes, due to contamination concerns, therefore considers there is “still a risk to human health”.

However, there were no formal objections from Environmental Health (Public Protection) -subject to conditions including a noise impact assessment – or the Environment Agency.

Developers have previously spoken about how the proposed homes would add to the area by
providing “attractive housing for both local people and people moving into the area”.

In a report, planning officers say the development would make a “positive contribution to housing land supply” and the site is not allocated as an ‘established employment area’ on the authority’s Unitary Development Plan proposals map.

But in recommending the application be rejected, they point out it fails to justify the loss of established employment premises and building houses in this location would “result in a poor
standard of living for future occupiers”.

The proposed development would also provide “insufficient outdoor amenity spaces” and the
access road out of Roaches industrial estate would “run for a considerable distance” and be
shared with commercial and HGV vehicles serving adjacent businesses, leading to “poor legibility and access”.

Planners also state the loss of “mature trees in good condition” would cause “significant harm to
the character and appearance of the area”.

Tameside Speakers Panel (Planning) committee will decide whether to grant or refuse the outline scheme at their meeting on Wednesday, January 15, at Guardsman Tony Downes House in Droylsden.