Hundreds up in arms over plans to build more than 300 homes on fields near RHS Bridgewater

Hundreds of people have slammed plans to build more than 300 ‘aspirational’ homes on field’s in a leafy Salford suburb. Property giant Peel L&P’s bid to launch the first phase of its development for land east of Boothstown on the doorstep of RHS Bridgwater is due to come up before the city’s planning councillors before the end of the year.

The application seeks full planning permission to initially build 65 homes on the northern part of the site with vehicle access from Occupation Road, together with public open space, a children’s play area and enhancements to existing foopaths and cycleways. It has been submitted with an application for outline permission for a further 285 homes.

Estimates say the initial 65 homes could go for between £240,000 and £350,000, but the others could fetch upwards of £700,000 each. Five-bedroom homes in Worsley are currently being marketed at up to £1.9million. Details of the application are on Salford city council’s planning portal, but the website does not state how many objections there are to the plan. However, the Local Democracy Reporting Services understands that they number at least 520.

The slice of land has been allocated for development in Greater Manchester’s masterplan – Places for Everyone (PfE) – which is a guide to the delivery of new homes over the next 15 years. Peel’s 111-page design and access statement which accompanies the planning application points out that the site has been “specifically identified in PfE to be developed ‘at a low density and to an exceptional quality, primarily targeting the top end of the housing market with the intention of attracting and retaining highly skilled workers within Greater Manchester’.”

However, Conservative councillors on the city council – including group leader Coun Robin Garrido and a leading member of RAID (Residents Against Inappropriate Development) – are already lined up against the plan. Meanwhile, Peel which owns the entire site and together with its housebuilding company Northstone, is promoting the site for ‘new, high quality residential development’.

How the new homes will look. Image: Salford planning portal

If it goes ahead, the new homes will be set in landscape ‘rich in biodiversity, which will encourage a healthy and active lifestyle’. “The neighbourhood will include children’s play facilities, fitness trails and improved connections with RHS Garden Bridgewater (RHS) and the Bridgewater Canal,” the statement says.

The site is just over a mile from Junction 13 of the M60 Motorway and covers 57 acres mainly of agricultural grassland. “It is positioned in close proximity to existing communities,” the statement goes on. “It adjoins the community of Boothstown to the west of the site, and Worsley is located to the east. This a vibrant and attractive part of Salford with a diverse range of amenities, which is popular and highly sought after by working-age families and aspirational homebuyers.”

References

1. ^{^} Seeds sown for battle over plans for 300 homes next to RHS Bridgewater (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Music and culture trail arrives in Salford featuring Peter Hook, John Cooper Clarke and Bez (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)