The village with a ‘dangerous’ problem where there are ‘crashes all the time’

Oldham councillors deferred a decision on a development in Failsworth after urgent pleas from the public.

Villagers from Woodhouses raised concerns about the impact more than 40 new homes would have on the ‘horrific’ road safety issues on Ashton Road and the surrounding Green Belt land. 

The decision on plans by Jones Homes to build 41 new homes on a plot of greenfield land behind the village church will now be postponed until March.

The plans include six three-bedroom and 35 four-bedroom properties, with four of the homes to be ‘gifted’ to a social housing provider. 

A water pump station would also be built on an adjacent plot of Green Belt land. 

In over 119 objections and a petition signed by more than 200 residents, villagers worried the development would ‘ruin our village and environment’.

They argued the village is ‘already struggling with traffic and parking’ on the narrow lanes around Ashton Road. 

At a jam-packed planning meeting (January 22), council officers argued that there would be ‘no significant’ traffic impact, with a maximum of 33 vehicles expected to use the development’s access point at peak times.

They also noted that only two ‘severe’ accidents – in which drivers were injured or killed – had been recorded on the road. 

But more than 30 members of the public present shouted that was ‘rubbish’. 

“There’s crashes all the time,” local resident David told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“People’s cars have been written off from people smashing into them.

"It doesn’t make any sense, what they’re doing.”  

Krista and Paul Robbie, who live opposite what would be the entrance to the new development, claim their cars have been ‘smashed into’ five times between them in the last few years.

Another resident claimed they saw their parked car ‘flipped over’ after it was hit by a speeding car. 

“The village is a rat run for people cutting through into Manchester,” Paul said.

“At peak times, that quadruples the amount of traffic through the village. 

“This is the third big housing development that’s taken place in such a small village.

"And they’re claiming it won’t make an impact?

"Their maths just isn’t adding up.” 

And Sue, who has lived in Woodhouses for 40 years, said: “If you saw the level of traffic and parking issues, you would understand why we are so frustrated. 

“People with push chairs have to walk in the road because the pavements are all parked up.

"Nobody sticks to the speed limits.

"People park up the roundabout. It’s really dangerous.” 

Council officers and Vincent Ryan, who represented Jones Homes at the meeting, maintained that the impact would not be ‘significant’ according to the ‘industry standard’ measurements used for assessment. 

Other issues raised in the meeting were concerns over the use of green belt land, the loss of green space and the cutting down of a copse of mature trees, which are home to wildlife such as newts and foxes. 

“If you choose to live in a village, it’s because you like the green space,” said Marianne, who has lived in the village for 70 years.

“It feels like our lifestyle is in someone else’s hands.” 

Councillors said they were minded to refuse the proposal.

But they instead unanimously agreed to defer the decision in the hopes that the developer could consult with local residents and potentially consider an alternative entrance point to the scheme, which neighbours believe would have a ‘lesser impact’.

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