Councillors have been critical of objectors worried about criminality and falling house prices while approving a 100 per cent affordable housing scheme in Stretford. The 60 homes - 50 apartments and 10 three-bed houses - will take shape at the junction of Christie Road and Chester Road, currently home to DW Motors Manchester Ltd’s vehicle repair centre.
But other residents living nearby have voiced concerns over the value of their homes and the type of people who will live there. The homes are to be built by the not-for-profit Southway Housing Trust, based in south Manchester, after Trafford’s planning and development management committee gave the scheme the green light.
Members of the committee deemed objections over parking and traffic and the amount of affordable housing which would have a ‘negative impact’ on property values in the area as largely invalid. Coun Laurence Walsh said he was ‘very excited about this scheme’ alluding to the fact it was 100pc affordable housing.
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“We’re constantly being approached by people desperate to live in Trafford,” he said. “Shortages of this type of housing are a fact of life. I was disappointed to hear that people were talking about criminality and house prices. Those are not reasons to turn down an application.”
Coun Walsh also praised the design of the scheme which includes solar energy panels on the rooftop and the fact it is in a very ‘sustainable’ location with easy access to bus and tram networks. Coun Meena Minnis agreed with him. She said: “This is a brownfield location and it’s affordable housing. You don’t get that much affordable housing [in Trafford].
"Quite sadly, people are talking about bringing down house prices in the area and for some reason see that as a negative, but I don’t.”
However, Coun Simon Thomas voiced concerns about the provision of only two disabled parking spaces among the car parking spaces in the design.
He suggested the developer be asked to up the disabled spaces to four and that was agreed by the committee.
Vice-chair and acting chair of the committee Coun Barry Winstanley added his voice to the approval of the scheme. “I am very much in favour of this, with it being a brownfield site,” he said. “I do have some concerns about parking, but it’s an extremely accessible location with bus and tram stops. But I agree with Coun Thomas about the parking spaces.”
Southway Housing Trust's assistant development director Jonathan Turner had told the committee: "We are passionate about providing excellent homes and outstanding customer care in our neighbourhoods."
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