Bellway launches second Hazel Grove bid this year
Following an application for 176 homes off Jacksons Lane in January, the housebuilder’s strategic land arm has lodged a 134-home project with Stockport Council.
This time looking to establish a permission to develop on a 12-acre site off Chester Road, Bellway said exactly half the housing in the plan will be affordable.
The full planning application will now be considered by Stockport. As with this scheme, the earlier Jacksons Lane proposals is for 50% affordable housing.
As shown on the indicative image, the site is close to the Jacksons Lane scheme, but is located to the east of Chester Road, near to Woodford Road, and with the Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road south-east of the site. Taylor Wimpey and Russell Homes are also working around the Jacksons Lane area.
Bellway said that the Chester Road development would comprise a mix of three and four-bedroom houses for private sale, as well as one and two-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom affordable homes for low-cost rent or shared ownership.
All homes have been designed to be accessible and adaptable to suit residents with limited mobility or changing needs over times, and electric vehicle charging points will be installed on each property.
Sebastian Burrow, strategic land director for Bellway in the North West, said: “Stockport Borough has an urgent need for new homes and the two developments we are planning in Hazel Grove would make a significant contribution to reversing years of housing under-delivery across the district.
“The high proportion of affordable homes proposed for both sites would also make a vital difference in a district where an estimated 11% of households are in need of an affordable property.”
Bellway is far from alone in zeroing in on Stockport. The incoming Labour government of 2024 effectively doubled the borough’s housing target, at a time when it was already behind the game following its withdrawal from the pan-GM Places for Everyone spatial plan. Applications have flowed.
A draft local plan, reluctantly releasing 26 further Green Belt sites, was published in October last year.
Burrow continued: “Our land and planning specialists have undertaken comprehensive assessment work on the Chester Road site, and this evidence aligns with the council’s intention to allocate the land for housing within its draft Local Plan.
“The homes have been carefully designed to reflect the character of surrounding properties, through the choice of materials such as grey roof tiles, red/orange brick, and black windows and fascias. More than three acres of the site would be provided as public open space to ensure the development reflects its countryside setting while also increasing biodiversity.”
Depressing cookie-cutter homes strike once again! I’m surprised these Layouts are actually designed by humans. They have all the makings of an AI dystopian nightmare. Why can’t we do it like our northern European neighbours on the continent?! Compact developments at decent densities that create proper walkable, liveable communities; not car-centric rubbish like this.
By Anonymous
The amount of planning applications for the Hazel Grove/Woodford/High Lane and Poynton areas is getting out of hand and there will be no green spaces left. There is not the infrastructure to cope with this level of population increase – Dr’s/Dentists/Schools and in particular, Stepping Hill Hospital are all at capacity and the government has refused funds to improve Stepping Hill Hospital. The reason the developers are targeting the area is not out of any concern for the homeless, it’s because they can make the most profit by building in these areas. Even ‘affordable homes’ are only affordable in relation to the average cost of buying a home in the area. The council should refuse applications unless they have enforceable conditions requiring the upgrading of infrastructure and not be fobbed off by promised infrastructure upgrades that don’t materialize once the builders have made their profits.
By Anonymous
How can this development increase biodiversity, for example barn owls need open grassland or similar habitat to hunt over, ground nesting birds also require open habitats, which are not present in a built environment.
By Paul Greenslade
Hazel Grove born and bred, the area can not cope with the numbers is already has. We have been plagued by cycle lanes and traffic lights making slow traffic even worse. Hazel Grove is sadly a dump, charity shops,.bars and takeaways have been allowed to infect what was a nice village. If this is appproved it is only because Ange Rayner and her vanity plan.
By Rob Davies
What a joke! Not enough schools, Dr’s, Dentist’s, hospital beds or infrastructure already.
By Tony N
It deeply saddens me to see the sheer damage and destruction that these building companies will inflict on our beautiful open countryside and green belt countryside. We are living in an era where we are already sick and tired of experiencing the effects of ever increasing urbanisation and the constant expanding of concrete landscapes. We need more green land to wander across and enjoy; we don’t want more traffic congestion, pollution, rubbish strewn streets and stress. These building companies are going to make irreversible changes to our country and worsen our quality of life, not to mention all the wildlife that they will destroy as well. It’s not just all about humans all the time. Animals, wildlife and the natural environment should also be protected and respected.
By Peter Ahern
Every comment above moaning about housing in Stockport and in particular the Hazel Grove area.. I can almost guarantee they were the ones demanding Stockport be pulled out of GMSF. Everyone warned Stockport what would happen if they pulled out and that they would see the consequences and developers taking matters into their own hands. This is now what has happened! Stockport only have themselves to blame. Political point scoring come back to haunt them.
By Anon
The Lib Dems disgraceful decision to pull out of the Greater Manchester planning framework is coming home to roost. I hope at the May local elections that the people of Stockport remember the mismanagement of the Boroughs planning system by the current Lib Dem councillors.
By Anonymous
The government planning consultants take no consideration of local people – they just support the developers. The number of proposed developments is frightening with no real strategy for the increased requirements for health & educational provision – never mind traffic capacity – depressing the level of political incompetence
By Anonymous
They are just greedy companies who see land available and have no thought whatsoever for the community at all
We don’t have the infrastructure in place to cope with all these applications at all.
Totally needless applications which I hope the council will refuse once and for all
By KIME
But you voted for this
By LOL
Don’t want any more houses built in and around Hazel Grove , we have lovely greenery,we want to keep them
By Ann Mackinlay
This affordable homes is nothing more than a lie! My daughter is 26 with a healthy deposit and so far all of these so called affordable properties would possibly be affordable if it weren’t for the ridiculous service charge with no cap so could go higher along with the scam of the government’s help to by! So a single person has to pay a part mortgage, part rent and thousands a year in service charges and ground rent! Totally unaffordable with little to nil possibilities of paying off more of the mortgage within 5 yrs! Nothing more than a scam and a stitch up.
By Paul carter
All the people complaining about the loss of greenery likely live in houses that were built on greenery. It was okay for their house, of course.
By Green Belt Ben
This land is actually a great place for a housing estate,no one can actually see it.Its not your green space it’s the land owners.You can’t object to every housing estate other wise nothing will ever get built.This bit of land isn’t even able to be seen by anyone other than the land owner or farmer who lives there.One of the best developments I’ve seen this one.
By Anonymous