A developer wants to create a ‘diverse community’ by building dozens of homes on a former school site. The proposals would see 52 new properties spring up at the previous home of Oakenrod Primary School, in Rochdale, which was demolished 12 years ago.
An application lodged by Hallmark Developments (NW) Ltd sets out plans for a range of two, three and four-bedroom family homes, as well as four one-bed flats. The ‘almost triangular’ plot lies just to the west of the town centre, sandwiched between the River Roch and Bury Road.
However, not all of the land is available for building due to the risk of flooding. A document submitted in support of the application reads: “It is the development team’s aim to create a diverse community within the scheme.
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“As such there are 52 dwellings proposed with a range of house types in order to offer to a wide collective of people including young professionals and families.” Each home would have two parking spaces ‘in order to reduce on street parking’, and these would be next to the property, either at the front or the side.
Papers note that the housing type in the area is ‘very traditional’ - and the new homes would be built using the same red brick as seen in Bury Road and the wider locality. The proposed landscaping is said to ‘blend the urban into the natural’, with most homes having a view towards the River Roch and the wildlife area to the south.
The applicant describes the site as being ‘in a highly accessible location’ with ‘good access to local transport’. Documents add: “It is served by an established bus route between Rochdale, Bury and Norden, and has links to the Rochdale Interchange where users can change for other bus and Metrolink services.”
It is also noted that a ring and ride service is available for those who have difficulty using public transport, while the footbridge over the River Roch ‘provides a convenient shortcut to the south which pedestrians and cyclists will find very useful’. Access for disabled people will be provided in the design of the new scheme in order to comply with current regulations and best practice.
No ‘affordable’ or social housing is included in the scheme, as the developer claims it would not be financially viable to do this or make contributions towards it elsewhere. An application for 29 Houses and 36 apartments was made in 2007 but did not come to fruition.
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