UDP - Chapter 20 - Droylsden
Unitary Development Plan
Chapter 20
Droylsden
| Ref | Proposal | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| DRO1 | A new Droylsden Station to be established on the Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge rail line, to the west of the Littlemoss Road railway bridge.
Land on the south side of the station site to be laid out partially as a car park, and the remainder to be landscaped as a continuation of the existing linear park along the former Audenshaw to Droylsden railway, extending to the footbridge over the existing line. |
DRO1. The proposed location for the new station is to the west of the Littlemoss Road railway bridge, on the site of the original station which was closed more than 20 years ago. Since that time, the area close by to the east has experienced substantial housing development, which it is expected will generate custom readily justifying the investment required. Although envisaged to be a predominantly walk-in station, provision will be made on the adjacent Council owned land for approximately 20 parking spaces.
The station will enable residents of this part of Droylsden to take advantage of the present approximately half hourly peak and hourly off peak service to Manchester and to Ashton, Stalybridge, Mossley, Huddersfield and Wakefield to the east. The need for a new station has been accepted by British Rail and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, and it is therefore hoped that it can be completed within the early part of the plan period, subject to sufficient resources being made available within the Passenger Transport Authority's capital programme. The second part of this proposal, on the disused original station yard, represents in part a continuation of proposal 38 of the Medlock Valley Local Plan, whose aim was to improve an important entrance to the valley and ensure a connection with the proposed footpath (since laid out) along the former railway to the south. |
| DRO2 | Land at Edge Lane and Bridge Street to be developed for employment purposes. | DRO2. This vacant, level site of 0.6 hectares is situated west of the town centre near the Manchester border, and forms part of an established industrial zone bounded by the canal, Stanley Street, Edge Lane and Fairfield Road. Any development will need to be sympathetic to its canalside location and to include appropriate screening of activities. |
| DRO3 | Land bounded by Dunkirk Street and Albert Street be developed for employment purposes. | DRO3. This is a Council owned site of 0.5 hectares, which forms the remainder of a small area just north of the town centre which is being redeveloped for industrial purposes. It has the benefit of outline planning permission for light industrial units granted in April 1990. It is important that with any development on this site there are no adverse environmental effects on the adjoining residential areas. |
| DRO4 | Saxon Mill at Medlock Street, and land to the rear, to be developed for housing. | DRO4. This 2.8 hectare site comprises a substantial mill building facing Medlock Street, along with vacant and partly overgrown land at the rear of the mill. The site is situated north of Droylsden town centre, alongside the line of the former Hollinwood Branch Canal. It is bordered by playing fields on two sides and is separated from housing on Clough Road by the path on the former canal line. Access would be taken from Medlock Street.
An outline planning application for residential development of the site as a whole was submitted in July 1994, and in April 1995 the Council was minded to approve this, subject to the signing of a Section 106 Agreement. It was anticipated that the Agreement would deal, among other things, with the desire to retain the existing mill lodge within the site and with the objective of securing an element of affordable housing. Although part of the mill was still in use by a manufacturing firm in 1995, redevelopment of the site as a whole, rather than just the vacant land to the rear as previously envisaged, should facilitate an improved layout. It has been understood that efforts are being made to secure suitable alternative premises for the displaced occupier. |
| DRO5 | Site of former Lumb Mill, Lumb Lane, Littlemoss, to be developed for employment purposes. | DRO5. This is a long established industrial site of 1.4 hectares, situated on the north eastern edge of the town at the end of the industrial spine that follows the former Hollinwood Branch Canal. The original mill buildings were recently demolished to leave a level, vacant site. Being adjacent to a transfer loading station to the south-west and to existing industrial premises to the south makes it suitable for development for employment purposes.
The site's proximity to housing on the northern side will require that any development should not have adverse effects on residential amenity. The site also has a frontage, on the western side, to a section of the former canal which is still in water and which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Importance. Any development must therefore be designed so as to protect and, where possible, enhance the setting of the SSSI, in accordance with policies C2 and C4 of this Plan. |
| DRO6 | Land on north side of Manchester Road, east of Scott Road (site of Fairfield Mills) to be developed for retail or employment use, subject to suitable access arrangements. | DRO6. This 2.7 hectare site was formerly occupied by Fairfield Mills (ex Christy's) most of which has now been demolished. Situated on the western edge of the town centre, the site is relatively level, although lower than Manchester Road at its eastern end. It is considered to be an important local employment site, with good access to the strategic highway network and also to the motorway on completion of the M66 to Ashton. The land is also suitable for retail development, which would strengthen the role of the shopping centre. |
| DRO7 | Development Opportunity Area: The area of industrial and commercial buildings, car parking and open space, located generally between Droylsden Library and Swimming Pool, the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction and Market Street south of Manchester Road.
This area has potential for redevelopment for mixed uses (offices, light industrial, residential, specialist retail and leisure) including car parking and open space, taking advantage of the location alongside the canal locks and the town centre. |
DRO7. This area, on the south side of the town centre mostly behind the frontage properties, includes a public car park, public open space, a children's play area, a community building, and extensive industrial and commercial buildings some of which appear to be in poor condition and only partly occupied. The area is crossed by the line of the former Hollinwood Branch Canal, which has been filled in but not built over, and is generally untidy and prone to vandalism. However, it offers a great potential opportunity for redevelopment given its proximity to the town centre and to the (still operational) Ashton Canal at the widened point of the former junction and surviving double locks.
The area is considered suitable for a mixed type of development with environmental improvements, which would ideally include the provision of a new children's play area and landscaped open space. An important feature of this redevelopment would be to open up this potentially attractive canalside location and to re-establish a pedestrian link from the canal junction to Manchester Road. Any redevelopment will require site assembly, as ownership is split between the Council, the owners of Sedgley Buildings, Snaefell House and the Fitzroy Social Club, and possible relocation of existing firms. |
| DRO10 | Land at Greenside Lane (former Wolfendens Carriers) to be developed partly for housing and partly for the laying out of school playing fields. | DRO10. This is a previously derelict and in part contaminated site of 2.3 hectares, situated on the western side of the line of the filled-in Hollinwood Branch Canal, in the mostly residential area just north of the town centre. The land, which was previously used as a haulage depot and waste transfer station, has been acquired by the Council and a reclamation scheme to deal with the contamination and to prepare the site for beneficial uses was completed in early 1995.
Outline planning permission for residential development and playing field provision was granted in April 1991. The north end of the site is needed to meet the requirement for a school playing field for St. Stephen's School on Chappell Road. The area of land to be made available for housing development is approximately 1.4 hectares and in April 1995 a detailed planning application was submitted for 44 dwellings to be built. |
| DRO11 | Road and footpath treatment in the section of Market Street adjacent to the town centre, to improve the street scene and enhance conditions for pedestrians whilst still allowing through traffic movement. | DRO11. Market Street forms an important part of Droylsden's compact shopping centre, both north and south of Manchester Road, and closely adjoins the precinct and public car parking areas. However, this relatively narrow street is also heavily used by traffic and the subsequent pedestrian / vehicular conflict leads to a poorer shopping environment. This is particularly true south of Manchester Road, and its junction with that road is a recognised accident black-spot.
Whilst recognising the requirements imposed by the fact that Market Street is part of a through route serving extensive areas of development, there is a need to ensure the safety of pedestrians and to enhance the quality of the shopping environment. This would complement the upgrading of the market, car park and precinct which was underway as the Plan was being prepared for deposit. Possible measures could include effectively restricting the speed of traffic, introduction of different road surfaces and the provision of central safety reservations. In the longer term, efforts may need to be made to provide alternative north-south routes so as to relieve Market Street of at least some of the through traffic. |
| DRO13 | Former Greenside tip, west of Greenside Lane, to be enhanced for informal recreational use, with additional landscaping and provision of footpaths. | DRO13. This is the extensive site of a former tip which has been fairly simply landscaped and is mostly owned by the Waste Disposal Authority. Situated in the north-west part of Droylsden, it stretches from the northern end of Sunnybank Park to Edge Lane near the Manchester boundary at Clayton Vale.
The site is unlikely to provide residential development opportunities in the future because it is liable to landfill gas emission. More fundamentally, it provides along with the park an important green wedge between two stable residential areas, available for public access and leading into the Medlock valley. Opportunities may exist to consider the laying out of sports pitches if there is an identified shortage of supply and for further areas of tree planting to improve and vary the landscape. This proposal is effectively a continuation of Proposal 15 of the Medlock Valley Local Plan. |
| DRO14 | Lumb Clough, off Clough Road and Gloucester Road, to be subject to landscaping and footpath improvements, to increase its use for informal recreation and enhance its appearance. | DRO14. Lumb Clough is an extensive area of undulating land covered by rough grass and bushes, located along the edge of the Medlock valley at the northern fringe of the built up area. Most of the land is owned by the Council. The aim of the proposal is to provide greater recreational opportunities for the adjacent residential areas and to improve the landscape quality. This is a continuation, in a simplified form, of Proposal 30 of the Medlock Valley Local Plan. |