Planning for five houses off Roch Valley Way look set for refusal

Photo: Google, DigitalGlobe

An aerial view of the site, Half Acre House and Roch Valley Way

An outline application for five detached houses off Roch Valley Way looks like it will be refused by Rochdale Borough Council’s planning committee on Thursday 8 August.

The proposal seeks permission for the access and layout of five detached homes on land to the south east of Half Acre House Nursing Home, including new private driveway access from Roch Valley Way.

The site is currently accessed through the grounds of the nursing home, with part of the application site falling within the curtilage/garden area of the nursing home and the other part a section of undeveloped open greenspace covered in well-established vegetation and self-seeded trees.

Proposals say the dwellings would all be L-shaped measuring 10.5m wide (at the widest point) and 10.5m in length (at the longest point). Each property would have a rear garden measuring approximately 23m in length and two parking spaces would be provided within each residential curtilage.

The proposed access road would run directly to front of the dwellings and to the south. The driveway would measure 4.5m wide where it serves both the houses and the nursing home, although after passing the separate turnoff for the nursing home, the width of the road would gradually reduce to 3m wide.

Approximately 26 trees would be removed to facilitate the new access road, and approximately 21 trees removed to accommodate the proposed dwellings, although none of these are protected.

Planning officers have recommended refusing planning permission as the proposed development is partly situated within the Roch Valley Greenspace Corridor.

The report said: “The proposed development, through the linear and regimented form, would be distinctly at odds with its surroundings and fails to take account of the specific site context.

“Furthermore, the application is accompanied by insufficient information to demonstrate that adequate mitigation for the loss of existing trees can be accommodated on or in the vicinity of the site to compensate for the loss of trees, including those which contribute the street scene of Roch Valley Way adjacent to the access point, to the detriment of the visual amenities and better landscape qualities of the greenspace corridor.”