The long saga of two huge housing plans to be decided this week

Hundreds of new homes could be built in Castleton – and a golf clubhouse could be relocated to make way for housing.

Two major planning applications in Rochdale could soon make progress – in Castleton and Middleton respectively.

When Rochdale Council’s planning committee meets this week, councillors will have the final say on both proposed developments.

The first item on the agenda is the plan to knock down the clubhouse at North Manchester Golf Club in Middleton and build it elsewhere at the site. Some 56 new homes would in turn be built on the vacated land. A similar plan was rejected in 2019.

 

 

Proposals to demolish the clubhouse at North Manchester Golf Club, build a new one elsewhere a the site – and build homes on the vacant plot have proved controversial.

There are plans to also get rid of the current pro shop, function room and greenkeepers store. A residential development with 56 new homes would be built in on the land.

The new clubhouse and car park would be constructed where the practice area now sits. The current clubhouse is deemed to be unsuitable and in dire need of repair.

Planning papers say the new clubhouse, which would retain its ‘four attractive arches’, would be split into three zones. The lower level would be a reception and pro-shop, while the the upper level would house a members’ bar and snooker room.

The third level, built over the changing spaces and toilets, links the existing refurbished barn to the new club event room. The event room would have views over the lake, up to the first tee and down the fairway.

Joint developers Duchy Homes would build 56 ‘high value, high-quality’ properties across 2.7 hectares, with access off Manchester Old Road.

They would be a mix of four and five-bedroom homes with off-street parking and areas of open green space.

A bigger version of the plan the club was rejected by the planning committee in 2019. That iteration was deemed to be a threat to the ‘green space corridor that provides welcome visual relief from urban development, including attractive views’.

Officers have recommended the plan for approval.

 

 

In Castleton, the fate of a plan for 445 homes on green belt land hangs in the balance. The proposal has long been part of the Greater Manchester housing strategy, Places for Everyone. At one point, developers considered building 550 homes on the land at Cowm Top.

Proposals for the homes on Cowm Top, will also be discussed at the meeting this week. Developers GLP Trows LLP and BDW Trading Ltd have a vision for a ‘high quality family housing’, with a ‘well-balanced mixed community’.

The site, also known as ‘Trows Farm’, lies to the south of Cowm Top Business Park, close to the M62.

The homes would be a mix of terraced, detached and semi-detached houses, ranging from two-bed properties to four and five-bed executive homes. If plans are approved, the site would also include a linear park as well as other patches of open green space.

Planning papers read: “The design proposals incorporate a new linear park towards the western boundary of the site which will stretch the full length of the site, north to south.

“This will be a shared resource for both the existing residents and the new development, providing an attractive space which will integrate the two and create a strong sense of place for the community.

“It will provide a substantial area of public open space for recreational and leisure purposes.”

The scheme has been scaled back from 550 homes following consultation.

The 50-acre site has long formed part of a proposed Greater Manchester-wide development masterplan – now dubbed Places for Everyone (PfE).

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter