Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Diane Williamson was absolutely shocked to receive an email from the consultants (becg) working on behalf of Miller Homes regarding their plans to create 52 three- and four-bedroom family homes by a potential developer on land behind Denbigh Drive. No planning permission has yet been given.
Cllr Diane Williamson who is leading the co-ordinated joint approach, said: “We will be out there, this weekend, from 1pm to 4pm on both days, talking to residents in the area and guiding them through the process of making their voices heard. We intend to knock on doors in the immediate vicinity in the first instance and then widen it out.
“It is not very nice to learn about the plans just before Christmas: residents and Councillors had hoped that the land at Denbigh Drive may have been spared from the dreaded Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.
“Unfortunately, it looks like this application could be sneaked in through the back door, just like the planning permission given on OPOL (Other Protected Open Land) at the former abattoir site located at Cowlishaw for up to 250 homes and previous applications (265 homes in Springhead, Grotton and Lees) approved on green spaces because OPOL policy is out of date and the lack of a 5-year land supply for housing.
“There is a virtual consultation happening from 8 to 22 December 2020 (crompton.consultationonline.co.uk) and I have given the consultants some dates so that they can speak to me and my colleagues about the plans. At that point we can explain our concerns,” added Diane.
The Labour run administration on Oldham Council is using out of date policies to meet Conservative government housing targets. The Liberal Democrats have always acknowledged that we need more housing but believe there is another way to meet them.
“Our stance from the very beginning has always been that there should be a fifteen year Local Plan for the borough which identifies that new housing development should first take place on brownfield or derelict sites, on sites with existing planning permission; and by converting long-term empty mills, shops and offices into homes; and that existing long-term empty homes should also be brought back into use, before any consideration is given to allocating green-belt or OPOL for housing,” said Cllr Williamson.