Community feedback invited for Stonebreaks development

AN APPLICATION to build 213 homes in Springhead is to be submitted to Oldham Council following consultation with the public.

Plans for the Stonebreaks Development at the former Springhead Quarry and adjacent land were unveiled by the Stonebreaks Group in July.The proposal, which will be submitted by Millson Group, sets out plans to build 213 homes between Cooper Street and Stonebreaks Road.

The site 8.48-hectare site comprises the disused quarry, grassland, Timbertops residential dwelling, and land to the north of Highfield House.

The proposal says the development will comprise apartments, two-bed mews homes, family homes and a 40-bed elderly care facility.

It states the old quarry site is designated as Previously Developed Land whereas the remainder of the site is Other Protected Open Land (OPOL).

It adds the conservation area to the north of the site needs special consideration and Millson Group has proposed not to build there and design in the vicinity to be more considered.

The documents claims the development would bring in £450,000 in council tax, £1.4m in annual leisure expenditure and £2.6m in annual retail expenditure.

A consultation event was held on July 12 as the Stonebreaks Group looked to gain feedback from the community to consider as part of their outline planning application, which is expected to be submitted soon.

A spokesperson for Millson Group said: “We are now in the process of collating the feedback, which is still coming in, to include in our redesign of the proposal where possible.

“The landowners see this as an opportunity to produce a development that acknowledges the needs of the community.

“This is an application led by the landowners themselves who have chosen to control the planning application rather than hand responsibility to a developer.”

Plans to provide additional parking for Springhead Congregational Church were suggested by the landowners, who have no connection with the church.

However, the church has confirmed it has no requirement for parking and no involvement with the application and the parking will be removed in the next design iteration.

Further information about the Stonebreaks Development is available online:
www.stonebreaksdevelopment.co.uk

15 Replies to “Community feedback invited for Stonebreaks development”

  1. The land owners see this as a blatant opportunity to make money. It will be of no benefit to the community, quite the opposite, putting unwanted pressure on overcrowded schools and public services , not to mention the added traffic that over 200 new properties would bring into a notoriously regularly blocked road.

  2. I’m really concerned about the resulting increase in traffic on Cooper street, Lees road and surrounding roads. School time is already a nightmare with people using residential streets as cut throughs. In addition, schools and doctors in the area are already unable to cope with demand. This is potentially a massive issue.

  3. Great news, we’re relocating from the city centre and having difficulty finding a new house with a garden in Springhead and these look just perfect, plus our boys will have all of Saddleworth moor to play on. Do you know when the houses are coming up for sale?

    1. if you want your boys to play on saddleworth moor then you’re about 4 miles away. there’s some lovely houses for sale in glodwick with lovely diverse shops and mosques for your boys to explore. glodwick is the new saddleworth. its hip and up and coming

    2. Hopefully not at all if residents can help it. There won’t be any green spaces left soon for your boys to play on if the greedy developers and greedy OMBC (who see Saddleworth as a council tax collecting piggy bank) get away with it. Oh and there’ll be no schools or doctors to get in to because the greedy developers and OMBC wouldn’t want to waste the money and the building sites on those things. ?

  4. So they want to build over 450 house in Springhead within a mile, how is that going to benefit the area,? It will just overload the roads and services?
    Just look at what traffic is like with the current roadworks in Springhead

  5. I live in Lees, I am told there are no doctors appointments until mid October at the earliest due to demand, I work in Rochdale and spend 3/4 of my commute stuck on Lees Road both going and coming home and add the new Breeze Hill school to that as well, its horrendous now nevermind after a new school and over 200 houses. Lees is being developed housing wise at an alarming rate while infrastructure stays the same. Where are the plans for more doctors, road improvements or is it just the usual greed that has taken over again!

  6. There’s Japanese knotweed all over the quarry. if you buy a house here your house will be contaminated. and you wont get your money back. they wont tell you this because they want your money.

  7. I overheard some local boys who hang around on the quarry saying they would throw eggs at these houses and residents every day if they build them here. I thought it was a bit childish but a least I wont be covered in eggs for destroying the only green space kids can explore in springhead.

    1. Over-exploitation with no regard for infrastructure again!
      Who are these brain-dead chickens with open hands and deep pockets?
      Do they take all scenarios into consideration…I think not!
      Money talks loud in Oldham!

  8. It’s totally impractical!! There are not enough school places for the children who already live in the area. The doctors surgeries cannot cope with their patients lists. Not to mention all the additional traffic these houses will create. Please leave us some green areas to enjoy instead of squeezing all these houses into the area.

  9. There are 10 houses whose rear elevation will look onto the ground of Springhead cricket club. No consideration has been given to protecting these properties from the possibility of flying cricket balls.

  10. A dangerous Quarry to build inside , OPOL land that has been tipped on after recent developments . Japanese knotweed everywhere !!! – you cant get rid of this !
    Deer roam this area – pictures and videos already posted of them.
    As previously posted – how on earth are an other 450 vehicles going to get up and down Cooper St or Oldham Road . Where are the 450 people going to go to Doctors or schools ???
    Its ridiculous to shoe horn these houses into this area .
    Maybe put some small industrial units inside quarry that will provide jobs !!!
    This development will never get passed unless there is another unscrupulous leader of planning dept !
    With the amount of support this area now has and the leader to oppose these ridiculous plans it will take thousands and years through the courts to try to pass this.

  11. I agree that the proposed development for housing in stonebreaks quarry and surrounding district is a step to far, for oldham council to even think of giving this the go ahead is a kick in the teeth for the residents of springhead. The schools in the area are already having to build extra classrooms to accommodate the current children, never mind the extra families that this development would bring to the area, plus all the extra traffic in cooper street which at the moment in the mornings and in the evenings is bordering on the dangerous. At the present time getting an appointment at the doctors is touch and go, and the two developments at knowls lane and stonebreaks quarry, will make it very difficult for the current crop of residents in the area, plus the fact that their is only one national health dentist in springhead, the area at present is used by many people for walking and exercising their pets especially during the current covid 19 crisis, so think again oldham.

  12. Cooper Street and Lees Road were never built for the amount of traffic it already takes. Additional traffic will mean possible subsidence for existing old stone properties, also due to the narrowness of both roads it has the potential to become an accident blackspot, and certainly the extra traffic will mean increased pollution.
    This proposal WOULD significantly alter the traffic composition in the area and would have a detrimental effect on air quality.
    The area where the building work is being propsed to take place is a haven for wild life and is part of the green belt and protected open land. Therefore this planning application is against all that Oldham Council promises to protect open land. See Oldham Council Policy 22.
    See also Oldham Council Policy 21 which states: any building proposals must not harm directly or indirectly, species and habitats identified in the Oldham Biodiversity Action Plan or other non designated sites containing features likely to be of substantial nature conservation value, such as trees, woodlands, and drystone walls.
    Stonebreaks area is a unique conservation area where there are grade ll listed buildings with tight restrictions on any alterations or development of the current properties in this pretty little hamlet which can only be described as an oasis for wildlife and an area of tranquil calm for the local residents around Springhead. This building application will have a direct negative impact on this area due to its close proximity to the Stonebreaks Fonservation Area.
    This building application cannot in any shape or form demonstrate there is a need or over-riding public interest for this completely inappropriate destruction and devastation of this beautiful area of peace which is popular with all ages, dog walkers and people who need to unwind after busy and stressful days.
    Please reject this application, which is just for profit rather than housing necessity for this area.

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