Plans to build 84 new homes at the former Sale Magistrates Court site have been approved.
The decision was made by Trafford council’s planning committee to grant full permission for the proposals, which will see 38 apartments in two blocks, one three storeys high, one four storeys, 40 townhouses and six semi-detached houses built.
The scheme is a joint venture between Trafford council and Seddon developers.
There will be a total of 21 ‘affordable’ homes, made up of 13 flats for affordable rent, and eight houses for shared ownership; representing 25pc affordable housing on site.
There will also be a pocket park in the centre of the site and new trees will be planted along Ashton Lane and Cross Street.
To make way for the new homes, all of the trees currently on the site, bar one, will be removed – something council officers labelled an ‘adverse’ element of the scheme.
But a total of 111 new trees will be planted in their stead.
The plans also included the removal of the gyratory road system close to the site and making the current one-way traffic system two-way along parts of York Road, Ashton Lane and Brighton Grove.
New give-way junctions will be also be created, including where York Road meets Cranleigh Drive and Ashton Lane.
Council officers described the location of the site as ‘highly sustainable’ due to its good transport links and proximity to Sale town centre.
There is ‘acceptable’ levels of parking on site to prevent ‘overspill’ of residents’ parking into other areas of Sale.
Because all schools in Sale are currently full, the developers will have to make a contribution of £220,318 to the creation of new primary school places and and £218,720 for new secondary school places to ease the pressure on the local education system – a total of £439,038.
Further, as yet unagreed, contributions will need to be made by Seddon towards the cost of road changes and other infrastructure pressures.
The plans were fiercely debated by planning committee members with Conservative members voicing real concerns about the proposals.
Conservative Coun Bunting raised his concerns about the impact the proposals would have on Sale itself, including the highways changes, a shortfall of parking spaces and the issues this could pose.
But by a vote of seven in favour and four against, the application was approved in full.
