Plans to build over patch of land in Heaton Norris delayed
A plan to build over a patch of land in Heaton Norris has been delayed by Stockport council.
Stockport Homes has submitted a planning application to build six bungalows on land off Grafton Street in Heaton Norris, creating homes with disability adaptations for social rent.
But locals objected to the plan saying the site has been used by local children “for generations,” and that losing it would leave kids nowhere to ride their bikes or play football.
Grafton Street Park is next to the area, but residents say it is not big enough for the number of families living in the neighbourhood.
They also raised concerns about the loss of a London Plane tree on the site, which they believe has been there for at least 80 years, and more than 300 residents signed a petition against building on the land in total.
The planning application was due to be decided by Stockport council’s planning committee last week with a recommendation of approval, but it was pulled on the day of the meeting on November 14 over confusion about the status of the land and whether it should be classed as ‘brownfield.’
The deferral was confirmed during the planning committee meeting by Cllr Mark Jones who is chairman of the panel.
Councillors on the planning committee were emailed to say the application would be deferred while officers are ‘undertaking a further in depth review of the history of the site.’
The email, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, added: ‘It must be highlighted that this is a very unusual case that has required a deeper dive into historical records, and it is usually much clearer as to how a site can be classified.’
Neighbours in the area say it has never been built on and should not be classed as ‘brownfield’ land, saying it was most recently used as a play space for the former Belmont Nursery School which closed in 2010 according to records.
Chris Yates, a resident in Heaton Norris, has delved into the history of the site, and said the land was given to Stockport council under a restrictive covenant ‘for the use and enjoyment of children’ in 1948 by the late Baron Egerton of Tatton.
The covenant is mentioned in a council report on the application, but officers said that a covenant alone ‘does not warrant the refusal of this planning application.’
The application is due to come back to the planning committee in future with an amended report on its status.
A Stockport council spokesperson confirmed that the application had been deferred from consideration to enable officers to further explore the planning history of the site and the status of the land.
They added: “It is hoped that the application will return to Heatons and Reddish Area Committee soon before proceeding for determination by the Planning and Highways regulation committee.”
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