Campaigners have reacted with delight after plans to build 200 houses on a ‘much loved’ green space were thrown out by councillors. Proposals submitted by MAN Energy Solutions would have seen the properties built at Mirrlees Fields, behind its Stockport HQ, in Hazel Grove.
While the scheme involved sacrificing around 20pc of the 67-acre area for housing, the rest was to be transferred to the Land Trust to manage in perpetuity. But objectors insisted the proposed site - known as ‘The Big Field’ - was ‘vital’ to the communities of Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Stepping Hill as well as providing an important haven for wildlife.
With the council unable to demonstrate it has enough land for the housing it needs over the next five years, members of the planning committee found themselves on the horns of a dilemma when they met on Thursday night. Arguments were made both for and against the scheme but the panel ultimately refused the application by seven votes to five.
