Housebuilders table plans for 495-home Rochdale scheme
David Wilson Homes and Barratt Homes are pressing ahead with plans to redevelop around 50 acres off Cowm Top Lane in Castleton, a site that is allocated for homes in the Greater Manchester spatial plan.
The plot, just off Junction 20 of the M6, is earmarked for redevelopment in the Places for Everyone joint plan.
David Wilson and Barratt lodged an outline planning application for up to 550 homes last August.
Rochdale Council is yet to determine the outline application, and now the housebuilders have submitted a full application for 495 houses on the site.
Barratt would develop 356 of these homes, a mix of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom properties. David Wilson would bring forward the other 139 properties.
Around 17.5 acres would remain as public open space, according to planning documents.
Escape Urbanists is leading on design and WSP is the planning consultant.
So more low density homes. GMSF have released loads of green belt land for the major housebuilders to build the bare minimum number of homes. Then in 10-20 years, we’ll still have a housing shortage and the major housebuilders will be asking for more green belt land to be released so they can deliver more low-density homes, and the cycle continues.
We need to be saying no to green belt release, and yes to high denisty housing delivery on brownfield land, if we are truly serious about addressing the GM housing shortage.
By Anonymous
After years and years of delays with the GMSF/Places For Everyone, it’s great to see plans starting to come through so we can start to address the housing shortage. Fingers crossed the inspectorate signs off the plans next year and we can move on.
I understand the argument for brownfield/high density/affordable, etc, however there is also massive demand for 3/4/5 bed family, forever homes so it is important these are built as well.
By jd
Strongly disagree with the post by Anonymous. One of Rochdale’s key economic issues is Green belt itself. It’s not borough with a lot of middle class housing because the 1947 TCPA wrapped a largely industrial working class town in green belt. It’s not surprising that Rochdale reports as one of most deprived places in England when your land use planning makes you under index in people with higher incomes (more spending power in your town) because they have higher skills (that are attractive to employers), and have higher aspirations (demand higher standards from state schools). The good news is the town knows this, and part of that of the solution is leveraging several rail stations within a 20min ride to Victoria Station. Some of those stations like Castleton are in green belt between Rochdale and Manchester, so this development is next to transit. To segue, nearby Middleton gets mentioned a lot because it’s weak transit connections to Manchester stunt it’s development. That lack of investment is a result of being left sub-scale because of green belt constraint. You can make a serious argument that Green belt now the thing that makes Rochdale/Heywood/Middleton poorer. As for density, yes, Castleton should get some density as it becomes a transit hub, but I don’t think you can wish away the fact that families want a different housing offer, and the sting in the tail of the density that being built in Salford/Manchester is that there will be a whole wave of 30 somethings looking for suburban housing further out from the city in not so many years.
By Rich X
M6?
By Anonymous
Jumping the gun ahead of the Planning Inspector’s determination of Places for Everyone!?
By Anonymous
Where is the emergency entrance & exit if the road at bottom of Queensway is block by the wagons how are the emergency vehicle going to get on site please. Lives can be at risk think about it I looked all around this site & I can only see the best place is up Trows lane going up to the horse stables.
By Mike
This proposal brings no benefit whatsoever to the local community or the town, indeed it can only bring a further deterioration to quality of life, health and wellbeing of local residents. These proposals will further pollute the atmosphere with raised noise levels and poor air quality.
The proposals for additional new housing in this area bring no new infrastructure, in fact this area of Castleton is completely boxed in by motorways, Rochdale – Manchester Canal, and the Yorkshire to Manchester rail link, meaning the introduction of additional road infrastructure is almost impossible both now and in the future.
This proposed new housing is being squeezed into an inappropriate location, taking advantage of existing infrastructure, with huge consequences to local community services.
By Gerard Tod
@Anonymous – it’s easy to say “high density on brownfield”, but you’re forgetting that this is England. People will find other excuses to block construction, and start complaining about parking, balconies, shadows, and – that old chestnut – “overdevelopment which is not in keeping with the character of the area”, We need more homes of all kinds – high/low density, rented/owned, public/private.
By S