Homes wrangle set to continue

PROTEST plea . . .Councillor Kaiser Rehman (centre) joins Keb Lane residents and supporters at Oldham Civic Centre last night

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A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build homes which has seen overwhelming opposition from local residents has been deferred by Oldham Council's planning committee.

Greenfield land off Keb Lane, Bardsley, has been earmarked by First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) for up to 26 two and three-bedroom houses. Properties would be available via a government "rent to buy" scheme designed for working households to rent for five years after which they may be able to buy.

A total of 266 letters of objection were sent to the council, citing reasons such as loss of privacy, detrimental impact on highway safety, impact on local wildlife and concerns around flooding issues.

The proposal forms part of wider plans to address the lack of affordable homes in Oldham.

Suzanne Dyer addressed the planning committee last night on behalf of Bardsley residents. She pointed out that a similar application to build houses close to the site was rejected in 2009.

She also questioned whether the proposed houses would be for elderly or disabled people or for large families.

Ms Dyer said: "This site is frequently used by a diverse group of people. It is the only green space which provides recreational are for young and old. It is an invaluable asset for the health and well-being of this community."

Their plight is being supported by ward councillor Kaiser Rehman, who issued a passionate plea on the behalf of the residents and asked the committee to reject the application.

Councillor Rehman said: "This has not been thought through. This is not suitable to be built on. We will be letting down the people who we are trying to help.

"There are over 12,000 people on the housing list. They're not only the problem of Bardsley but for the whole of the borough. There are sites more appropriate for this sort of development."

The Chronicle reported earlier this month how residents opposed to the development staged a peaceful protest to save the land as well as the trees on the much-loved green space.

Contractors threatened to chop down trees at the site, prompting a five-hour protest from local residents. A decision to cut down four trees on the green space near to Levington Drive was postponed due to a Tree Protection Order and to allow FCHO to discuss with residents about the need for affordable housing in Oldham.

Councillors were told if they did approve the application then some of the trees can be felled. Councillor Rod Blyth noted concerns from the coal authority that the site is on a mine entry.

Phillip Jones, from FCHO, reminded the council that there is a need for housing in the borough, as set out in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, and said FCHO is doing its best to fulfil that demand.

He said: "We feel this is a fantastic opportunity to provide homes in an established community. It benefits from an open space."

Mr Jones could not say exactly how many homes would be rent-to-buy and how many would be allocated to the elderly and disabled.

They acquired the land through the council as part of a transfer. Councillors asked why FCHO had not considered other sites in the borough.

Many councillors voiced concerns that the planning application was not detailed enough for them in terms of not outlining access to the site, it did not lay out where exactly the houses would go and how many tress could be saved, as well as being unsure how many of the houses would be allocated to families and to the elderly or disabled.

The committee decided to defer the decision until the next meeting. This was despite council officers reminding them that, at this stage, they would only be approving the principle of the development.

After the planning meeting, resident Debra Grice told the Chronicle: "I was very happy that some of the planning committee saw through the lies First Choice Homes gave regarding the plans submitted. They stated they have and are willing to work with residents regarding this build which is lies. They have brushed us off at every avenue on trying to contact them to show and tell them how valuable this land is for the residents.

"They have had no regard for any of the residents. Some of the plans submitted showed homes to which they had said FCHO owned ­- this is also untrue. A few they had shown have been bought privately. In my personal opinion the chair of the committee deferred it before the other members had the good sense to decline the application.

"It is disgusting that FCHO wish to take away a small piece of land which unfortunately was given to them in 2010 that residents use regularly.

"The traffic congestion can be observed every night it is parked on both sides of the road which is dangerous. None of this has been taken into account. First Choice Homes are a disgrace to put this forward."

Ms Grice said she was disappointed that the other ward councillors, Ateeque-Ur-Rehman and Yasmin Toor, had not responded to their concerns.

Debbie Barratt, another resident, added: "It was obvious from the onset that the chair of the meeting was for the plans to go through even more so when he went for the plans to be deferred rather than taking it to a vote of yes or no.

"The Bardsley residents turned out on mass tonight some arriving late due to not every resident getting a letter about the meeting and told it was in a different place.

"We as residents thought we won tonight as the councillors' voting was showing signs of voting this out. We are pleased that Councillor Kaiser Rahman stood up for us."