Plans to build 28 ‘car-free’ homes on a busy road in Oldham could be approved next week. The development, proposed by City Shape, would sit on vacant land off Oldham Road in Failsworth, near Brookdale and Ridgefield Street. The site has been empty for years and is surrounded by new housing as the area shifts from commercial to residential use.
Design and access details
The application, submitted last year, includes a mix of two- and three-storey homes, none of which will be affordable. A design and access statement says the scheme will ‘provide high quality homes and meet an identified need within this Failsworth area’ with ‘good amenities and public transport links’. The document highlights that footpaths run in front of homes, not behind, creating ‘no hiding places’, and that roads and pavements will be well lit to promote safe, attractive routes.
The site is currently covered with gravel and plants and has been used for unsanctioned parking. A church on the land was demolished in 2013. The statement notes regular bus routes and the Failsworth Metrolink stop are within a few minutes’ walk, making the scheme well connected to surrounding areas.
Concerns over parking
Three people have objected, worried that the 14 car-free homes will push parking onto nearby streets and worsen congestion. However, council officers say the site has good access to bus and Metrolink services. A Manchester Council survey described the road as ‘a busy road with lots of cars’, with 43 bus services per hour and some stops seeing over 4,500 boardings a month.
The plans will be considered at an Oldham Council planning committee meeting on August 19. Officers are recommending approval.
Other applications at the meeting
The same meeting will also consider a house of multiple occupation (HMO) on Haigh Lane in Chadderton, referred because the applicant, Footlong (UK) Ltd, is reportedly owned by a relative of Coun Abdul Jabbar. The plans have drawn objections from 121 residents and Reform councillor Jon Ford. Officers recommend refusal, citing the loss of 25 square metres of habitat and a lack of environmental impact assessment. They noted the HMO would have a low traffic impact and the nearest HMO is 380 metres away, but the absence of environmental data was decisive.
