A FORMER mill site, described as ‘vacant’ and ‘dilapidated’ will be turned into nine luxury homes if planning permission is granted.
Wiggett Homes has applied to Oldham Council to convert the site where Kinders once stood in Greenfield.
All properties will have four or five bedrooms.
And documents supporting the plan, on the site of what was KW Autos, state the belief it would benefit the area.
They say “The application site is vacant, dilapidated and not viable for redeveloping for modern employment use.
“Furthermore, it is closely surrounded by existing residential use on three sides and its redevelopment for residential use is entirely appropriate.
“The development will help stimulate the local economy in various ways, creating direct and indirect job opportunities, contributing to local tax revenues and increasing local spend and investment in the area.
“In addition, the redevelopment of the site provides social benefits by creating inclusive, vibrant, and diverse communities.
“The revitalisation of these areas can help improve the quality of life for residents and foster social cohesion.
“The proposed development offers a significant opportunity to regenerate a highly sustainable, dilapidated brownfield site that is unviable for continued employment use.
“The development proposes family homes, which will provide a useful contribution to the local housing supply and help address the ongoing national and local housing crisis.
“Transforming this site for residential use supports the objective of maximising the potential of underutilised land and alleviating housing demand in urban areas.”
The site, which is fenced off on the corner of Kinders Lane and Boarshurst Lane, is where the original Kinders Mill stood before being reportedly destroyed by fire in 1863.
Mapping suggests a structure may have survived or been rebuilt, but by 1904, the mill was disused.
1946 mapping indicates it was operating again, and the mill dam appeared on 1978 maps but was infilled between 1993 and 1995.
By 2003, it showed the main mill north of the dam had been demolished.
Documents admit a culverted watercourse would require diversion for the development.
But they add it is needed, continuing: “The scheme addresses the critical need for diverse housing options in the area.
“The UK has faced a long-standing housing crisis, with demand for new homes far outstripping supply.
“Oldham Council declared a housing crisis in February 2024 and has been preparing housing action plans to help increase supply.
“Although it can currently demonstrate a five-and-a-half year supply, more sites need to be approved to ensure future needs are met when the requirement steps up from this year onwards in accordance with Places for Everyone.
“Securing approval of this site will optimise an existing brownfield site within a prominent residential area, contributing to the council’s targets for housing delivery.”
Oldham Council’s Planning Committee, or officers, will decide whether to grant or refuse permission.
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