The plan for 445-home estate in Castleton with only one access road

A final decision on a 445-home development in Castleton will be made next week. Developers, GLP Trows LLP and BDW Trading Ltd, want to build ‘high quality family housing’ off Cowm Top Lane.

The site, 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 properties, ranging from two-bed properties to four and five-bed ‘executive’ homes. The housing estate would also include a linear park, open green space and playgrounds.

When Rochdale Council’s planning committee last met to discuss the plan, they heard from objector Lee Herbert, who represented a number of locals. He raised concerns about noise disruption during construction; the impact on hundreds of new homes on school, doctors and dentist places; and the impact of additional traffic on Manchester Road and Queensway.

Councillors on the committee also had concerns for health and safety of the site – as it only had one access route in.

At the meeting, on 30 January, Councillor Billy Sheerin, who lives next to the development site as well as being a ward representative, said: “The proposed development, in my opinion, is the wrong development in the wrong place. With the lay of the land how it is, this could prove to be a very expensive mistake.”

 

 

The committee deferred the item until this month so council officers could look for emergency access routes to the housing site.

A highways team have since explored every alternative access route to Cown Top Lane. A highways report concluded that the only viable option for the access to and development of this land is the one proposed by the developer.

The report went on to note that it is intended for Cowm Top Lane to be added to the council’s winter service programme for gritting, and that high friction surfacing would be required to address the steep gradient into the site.

The agent, representing the developer, referenced the challenging terrain at the last meeting. 

The agent said: “We have done the viability tests on this challenging site. We know the borough and we have built here before.

“We want to deliver quality homes.”

The planning committee will convene in the council’s HQ, Number One Riverside, to decide the fate of the housing scheme on Thursday 27 February. Planning officers have recommended approval.

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter