Dozens of new ‘family’ homes have been approved for a former industrial site in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Tameside council’s planning committee has given the green light to plans to develop 32 homes across a mix of house types on land at Fern Lodge Drive. Wiggett Homes applied to build a mix of three and four bedroom properties, set across two and three storeys.
The access would be taken from the head of Fern Lodge Drive. All of the properties would have two off road parking spaces. The site had historically been within the Hurst and Stamford Mills complex, and until 1999 supported a reservoir as a legacy of the former cotton spinning operations.
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The reservoir has now been cleared, and the land is empty aside from vegetation, concrete slabs and the remains of tarmacked roads.
“The land is marshy in character and is undulating with several areas of spoil,” the committee report states.
In their submission, Wiggett Homes stated that the development ‘aesthetic respects the local heritage of the area, whilst maintaining distinct individual character’. There had been six objections to the proposals – with concerns raised that there was a covenant on the site relating to a historic use as a graveyard.
Others raised concerns about the impact on wildlife, loss of habitat and that it was one of the only areas of green space in the area.
The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit stated that off-site compensation would be required in lieu of the habitat to be lost on site, including ‘species rich grassland suitable for pollinators’. This would be £15,000 per unit.
However the council’s own tree officer had raised no objections as they said the trees were mainly ‘low value self seeded scrub trees and vegetation that would not be considered a constraint to development’.
Tameside’s green spaces manager recommended that £50k be paid by the developer through a Section 106 agreement which could create a new footpath around Cedar Park to join up with other paths and form a ‘good route’ from the Queens Road entrance to the Alderley Street entrance.
The investment would also see increased tree planting on Smallshaw Fields, and a small community orchard on the open space adjacent to Fern Lodge.
Recommending approval, planning officers stated: “The proposals represent an efficient reuse of a largely previously developed site that would meet sustainability requirements, and contribute positively to the borough’s affordable housing supply.
“The development would add to and contribute to much needed, good quality family housing.”
It was granted approval by the committee subject to conditions.
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