Angry residents vented their fury as controversial housing proposals were passed despite hundreds of objections and a noisy protest outside council offices. Shouts of ‘shame’ and ‘farce’ filled the air as Rochdale council’s planning committee approved proposals for 61 new homes on protected grazing land in Littleborough, known as Stubley Meadows.
The scheme has been mired in controversy since last September, when council bosses backed the 'principle' of selling fields to a developer - despite previously turning down interest from a local resident. More than 500 objections have been received since Russell Homes planning application - heavily weighted towards large family housing but also including two homes for the care of vulnerable children - was lodged with the local authority.
The strength of feeling was apparent before proceedings got under way, with dozens of placard-waving - and very vocal - protestors gathering outside the council’s Number One Riverside offices. Things were no less heated inside the meeting, with residents being warned the meeting would be cancelled if proceedings were disrupted.
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A report to the committee recommended approval, advising plans for the land west of New Street would deliver ‘acutely needed’ housing and ‘all necessary infrastructure’.
But Fiona Treaton, representing the objectors, told the panel there was a 'very strong' feeling in the Littleborough community that the application should ‘absolutely not be approved’
She said: “Littleborough and Smithy Bridge are already over-developed and this proposal would put additional pressure on infrastructure that can no longer effectively support local people. Our doctors and dentists are over-capacity and roads become gridlocked on a regular basis.”
She told the panel there was ‘no justification’ for the development, with nearly 700 new homes currently in the pipeline for Littleborough.
“The application for this precious green space is an opportunistic development whose sole purpose is to put profit before people,” she said. “The whole process has not been fair, open or transparent.”
Coun John Taylor, Wardle and West Littleborough ward councillor, told the panel it was ‘undoubtedly the most contentious application’ he had seen during his five years as an elected member.
He warned the reputation of the council was at stake and ‘approval would be seen by the community as a myopic manipulation of facts and figures’. “It fails to pass any threshold for development and will only be approved if you choose: cash over community, pounds over people and balance sheets over biodiversity,” he added.
Greg Eaton, planning agent for Russell Homes said, the plans provided ‘much needed high quality family homes, affordable homes and specialist childcare provision to support the growing need in the borough’.
He added that these would create a ‘wide range of opportunities for new and existing residents in Littleborough’ as well as contributing to Rochdale’s housing supply. Financial contributions to secondary school places, sports pitches and active travel also came to more than £800,000, he told councillors.
“Overall the application comprises sustainable development that meets and exceeds the council’s policy requirements, including planning applications to support local infrastructure and regeneration priorities,” said Mr Eaton.
As the meeting moved on to the debate, Coun Peter Winkler told fellow committee members the development was ‘just not needed’.
“It’s just an opportunity to build and we need to ask ourselves is that a good enough reason to turn a piece of protected open space into a development?" he said. "For me, I’m not sure it is.”
“There’s a time when we look at these things and say we ‘we can’t just approve everyone single one that comes in’, maybe there is a time.” Coun Winkler's comments were met with applause and he moved to refuse the application on the grounds of over-development.
But Coun Billy Sheerin said while he was ‘very uneasy’ with the development he could find ‘no substantial reason’ to reject it - and proposed that the application be approved.#
Coun Aftab Hussain agreed, saying that - while he sympathised with residents - he could not go against officers’, who had advised there would be no significant impact on local infrastructure.
“I’ve tried to find any reason to refuse it on the basis of, but couldn’t find anything,” he said, seconding Coun Sheerin’s proposal.
The committee passed the application by seven votes to five. Rochdale council planning committee met at Number One Riverside on Thursday night (May 25).
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