A housing association says it will appeal after councillors refused its plans for ‘affordable’ new flats comparing them to ‘rabbit hutches’.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) wanted to build a pair of two-storey blocks on a half-acre site in the Rhodes area of Middleton, situated between Broad Street, Yates Street and Chapel Street. The proposals included eight two-bed apartments designed to be particularly suitable for people with mobility issues.
However Rochdale council’ s planning committee rejected the plans by a majority vote after hearing that some of the homes would be smaller than the national recommended standard. There were also concerns raised by residents over the loss of a well-used area of green space as well as parking and potential road safety issues.
