Oldham urges Redrow to withdraw 1,380-home plan
The council’s planning team has objected to the housebuilder’s proposals to redevelop more than 200 acres in neighbouring Rochdale, saying the scheme would have “significant implications” for the delivery of the Atom Valley innovation cluster.
Oldham Council has called on Redrow to withdraw its application for the 1,380-home Stakehill Garden Village and encouraged the housebuilder to “focus their efforts on collaborating with Rochdale and Oldham Councils, the other landowners within the allocation, and key partners to develop a masterplan”.
The Stakehill Garden Village site forms part of a wider allocation that is also earmarked for the delivery of 1.6m sq ft of industrial accommodation.
This logistics space forms part of the wider 17m sq ft Atom Valley, which straddles Oldham, Rochdale, and Bury.
Oldham Council said Redrow’s plan “focuses solely on the application site in isolation” and does not take into account ambitions for the wider area.
In addition, the authority claims the plan fails to meet several criteria set out in Places for Everyone, which is due to be adopted early next year, “undermining” the strategic spatial plan.
In a written objection, the council said: “Ultimately, the application from Redrow Homes has been submitted not merely before Places for Everyone has even been adopted, but before any masterplanning and infrastructure planning for the whole allocation has been undertaken.
“Given this site is part of the Atom Valley innovation cluster, it is not appropriate that an application has been submitted for such a large number of homes without first considering the wider implications for the whole allocation, and it runs the risk of this key development allocation coming forward without the necessary infrastructure improvements and without the planning and phasing of those improvements.”
As the site falls wholly in Rochdale, it will be Rochdale Council that determines the application.
In response, Robin Buckley, planning director for Redrow Lancashire, said: “Our plans for a new garden neighbourhood in Rochdale complement and support the Atom Valley Mayoral Development Zone and accord with the emerging Places for Everyone joint development plan, which has now reached an advanced stage.
“The proposal also aligns with a masterplan for the northern part of the Stakehill allocation, which was developed in consultation with Rochdale Council and other stakeholders. Our aim is to create a thriving new community with high quality and much-needed new homes, abundant green spaces with habitats for wildlife, and space provided for new community infrastructure.”
To learn more, search for application reference 23/00650/HYBR on Rochdale Council’s planning portal.
Good to hear there’s a vocal pushback from councils on this type of development. Get with the programme
By PJ
Or you could just have a backbone and refuse the application? Council’s are too scared of the large housebuilders these days. If this was a SME the scheme would have already been refused by now.
By Anon
Hi Anon – Redrow’s application is lodged with Rochdale Council, which will be the local authority with the power to approve or refuse it.
By Julia Hatmaker
Always an excuse! This means 1,380 families will have homes, get it built! Homes for people is the priority surely.
By MC
PJ, for “this type of development” you presumably mean, “a much needed housing allocation that has gone through a very long democratic plan process, supported by the Councils”. No doubt you’ll moan about speculative housebuilding next.
By Mr N Imby
Oldham is just whingeing because Rochdale will have much more to offer for families, homebuyers and businesses. With this exciting Thornham “Urban Village” development, already superbly placed for transport connections, who on earth in their right mind would want to even consider living in or developing the 2500 multi storey flats bang in Oldham town centre that Oldham is pushing as it’s centrepiece development proposal? Or indeed the 1400 house proposal on the poorly located tip site at Broadbent Moss that Oldham now accept will need a new access road driving a considerable distance across virgin green land and again will involve the tipping of hundreds of thousands of tons of spoil to provide the levels? Rochdale should just get on with it, they have the right ideas, if they wait for Oldham it will never happen!
By K. W.