Oldham Council could object to 1,400 proposed Rochdale homes

Last month, plans were lodged to build 1,380 homes on a patch of Green Belt land off Rochdale Road and south of the M62, near Stakehill Industrial Estate.

The proposal from Redrow Homes also includes the potential for shops, a 13.4 hectare park and an extension to St John's Primary School.

However, Oldham Council has proposed that the planning committee object to the plans due to the "harm" it will have on the surrounding area and on the Atom Valley plans, along with the fact the application has been proposed before the Greater Manchester-wide Places for Everyone plan has been adopted.An outline of the site for the proposed development (Image: Redrow Homes)

According to the design and access statement, 233 homes consisting of two, three, four and five-bedroom properties, of which 15 per cent are designated as affordable housing, would be built in the first phase of the development.

Ahead of the meeting of Oldham Council's planning committee on Wednesday (October 18), the council has recommended the committee formally object to the proposal.

The site falls under part of the Stakehill allocation in the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan.

A design of the proposed development (Image: Redrow Homes)

The Stakehill allocation is a cross-boundary allocation covering parts of both Rochdale and Oldham boroughs, with residential development proposed to the north of Stakehill Industrial Estate, while employment development is proposed to the south and east of the estate.

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A document written by the council's head of planning, Peter Richards, reads: "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."

Mr Richards added that it was "not appropriate" to submit the proposal as it did not consider the wider implications of Atom Valley and that the application "undermines" the Places for Everyone plans.

He called on Redrow Homes to withdraw the application and "instead focus their efforts on collaborating with Rochdale and Oldham Councils, the other landowners within the allocation and key partners" to develop a plan for the Stakehill allocation that the proposal can fall under.