THE guardians of parks and green spaces across the UK are scheduled to review the latest plans submitted to turn the former toilet block in Uppermill park to a new café.
Fields in Trust do not have ultimate authority to reject the proposals from Grandpa Greene’s for the unused building in King George V playing fields.
But they can make recommendations to Oldham Council who will decide what happens to the site.
The Independent has twice contacted the local authority and submitted questions but at the time of going to press hadn’t received a reply.
A campaign group opposed to Grandpa Greene’s plans have also rejected the Diggle based business’s latest changes.
A Fields in Trust spokesperson said: “King George V Park in Uppermill, has been protected by Fields in Trust since November 1953.
“The land is owned and maintained by Oldham Council. On the rare occasions where a request is made to change the designation of a protected space, our published Fields Change Procedure is used.
“An initial application from Oldham Council was sent in July 2021 requesting to change the former toilet block into a café. This was agreed in October 2021 by The Fields in Trust Land and Planning Committee of our Trustee Board.
“Permission was granted subject to planning permission being obtained, and that the rent from a new lease would be invested in maintenance of/improvements to, the KGV Field.
“However, as the proposals have changed regarding the café, we have requested Oldham Council to submit a further application as we did not give consent for an extension or permanent outdoor seating.
“Following some exchanges locally between the campaigners and the applicant, new plans for a café on the site of the toilet block in KGV Park Uppermill have been scaled down.
“Our trustees will review the proposals as it’s still materially different from what was previously approved.”
Grandpa Greene’s managing director Rick Scholes has written an open letter to the community, outlining the company’s case for planning permission.
He said: “The toilet block has unfortunately now been closed since 2018. We want this to change and will offer disabled public toilet facility 364 days a year.
“Unfortunately, without an extension we wouldn’t have enough indoor space to operate in the winter months.
“This is very challenging from a business perspective and as we want to ensure the public toilet facilities are available all year round is a must.
“On 31st March we submitted a planning application which has received a number of objections from residents
.
“On 20th May, we sent in an amended proposal which we hope shows our willingness to work with local residents.
“The key amendments to the scheme are as follows:
• All decking has been removed.
• The external timber cladding to the stonework and brickwork has been removed and the existing stonework retained.
• The green roof has been retained as it is considered to be an important design feature and brings about significant public benefit in terms of its environmental, visual and ecological enhancements. This roof also significantly reduces the size of the building.
• Six tree replacement planting shown in close proximity to the premises to replace the two small trees we need to remove.
• The entrance to the cafe to the west has been reduced in size. This results in an overall reduction in extension size by 5m2. The proposed extension is now 52 square metres in floor area, making a total floorspace of 85 sq metres.
• The bin store has been significantly reduced in size.
• We have submitted a litter management plan which has already proved to be successful at our Diggle site- this includes daily litter picks, eco packaging and private waste bins.
“We welcome your helpful suggestions on how to improve our planned operations and service – please email icecream@grandpagreenes.co.uk”
A spokesperson for the Friends of King George V playing fields said: “We welcomed the new plans for the Grandpa Greene application but were sadly disappointed that the actual glass structure remained and at the same size.
“However, we were pleased to see the decking and the timber cladding had been removed.
“We continue to be against this proposal as it still takes space off the park and removes two trees and part of an old hedge.
“Although the plans have been reduced by 5sq metres, the footprint of the cafe remains the same.
“The reduction of 5sq metres was achieved by removing an entrance porch which has little impact on the overall footprint as the porch area is still covered by an overhanging roof.
“The application shows only two toilets. This does not seem a fair trade off for the loss of valuable park space and a huge difference to the amount of toilets – previously seven.
“As far as the Balcony in the Park is concerned – the Stepping Stones nursery application – our issues remain the same as there have been no changes to their plans.
“However, we feel strongly that should this plan be revised to remove the first-floor extension and have a more sympathetic design we would back this application as it is utilising an existing building and would not be taking over park space.
“We are still very concerned that Uppermill park should remain a place for the people and not just an extension of the High Street.
“We would like to investigate further what the actual running costs of the toilets are to see if there is an alternative to having them made into an excuse for creating yet another cafe in Uppermill.”
• See Friends of King George V Playing Fields Uppermill on Facebook to find out more about their petition.
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