UDP - Chapter 24 - Longdendale
Unitary Development Plan
Chapter 24
Longdendale
| Ref | Proposal | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| LON1 | Harewood Lodge and grounds, off Mottram Road, Broadbottom, to be developed for housing, through conversion, extension and new construction. | LON1. This proposal covers the extensive grounds of a large, old house situated on the north side of Mottram Road in Broadbottom village, opposite the former railway warehouse (disabled riding centre). The 2.3 hectare site contains a considerable number of mature trees. Outline planning permission was granted on appeal in May 1992 for restoration of the existing house, extension and associated residential development. |
| LON2 | Land on west side of River Etherow, south of Woolley Bridge, Hollingworth, to be laid out as a car park. | LON2. This land, situated in the Etherow valley near the Derbyshire border at the southern end of Hollingworth village, is partly used for garaging and is in a dilapidated state at the moment. The site is a focus for footpaths in the area and this, coupled with the shortage of car parking for river valley visitors, makes the site suitable for car parking in line with Policy L20. The site is the subject of the very similar Proposal 11 in the Etherow/Goyt Valley Local Plan. |
| LON4 | Grounds of Etherow Lodge, off Market Street, Hollingworth, and adjoining land up to the Hollingworth Brook and River Etherow, to be made more accessible as an area of informal open space, drawing on its existing assets and linked into a footpath and cycleway route through the Etherow Valley. | LON4. The grounds of Etherow Lodge, at the eastern end of Hollingworth village, are attractively designed park land incorporating woodland, ponds, lawns and planting beds. These grounds are now in the Council's ownership. However, despite the lack of a significant area of public open space in this section of the Etherow valley, severe access problems have prevented the area being opened up to the public so far. If a satisfactory solution can be found (the construction of a Mottram - Hollingworth bypass will greatly reduce traffic on the trunk road which passes the site) the grounds have excellent potential to offer an important recreational area both for Hollingworth and within the Etherow Valley as a whole.
To maximise the attractiveness of this area and to enhance its accessibility, particularly on foot and to the Trans-Pennine Trail which is planned to pass through this section of the valley, extensions of the park east and south into privately owned woodland, river meadow and associated land are envisaged within this proposal. This should facilitate further recreational use, protect an open river frontage, and assist with the creation of valuable footpath links both across the river and westwards. This proposal, to a greater or lesser degree, embraces five proposals in the Etherow/Goyt Valley Local Plan, most directly no. 2 (Grounds of Etherow Lodge) but also in essence no.'s 3, 4, 5 & 6. These local plan proposals included the creation, through negotiation with landowners, of a car park reached by way of Printers Park, but this has not been achieved. The scope for providing car parking to serve the grounds of Etherow Lodge appears to be very limited, not least because of the difficulty of forming a satisfactory access from the A628 trunk road. The extensions and enhancements envisaged in this UDP proposal are based essentially on usage by local people, or those travelling through the valley on foot. The provision of a small car park may remain a longer term objective but only if this could be achieved without damage to the special qualities of the site. The grounds of Etherow Lodge have a number of intrinsic advantages in terms of landscape quality, horticultural interest and wildlife value, which must be protected through a sensitive management programme which balances these features against the need for public access. In the past, lack of coordination in site management has led to uneven treatment, and some of the character has been lost. These problems have been recognised by the Council however, and in 1992 a new management plan was approved which will treat the site as a single unit, so as to maintain its unique character while making full use of the benefits it has to offer. The management regime will retain the different landscape types, favour wildlife and enhance the interpretive and educational value of the site, at the same time as encouraging informal recreational use. |
| LON5 | Longlands Quarry at Harrop Edge Road, Mottram, to be reclaimed and returned to use as agricultural land. | LON5. This proposal includes two nearby sites, the southern of these being larger and more conspicuous, which are situated in the attractive hilly countryside between Hattersley and Bardsley Gate to the north. Planning permission was originally granted in 1951 for the working of the site. After the initial quarrying Harrop Edge remained unused for many years but reopened in October 1985 due to an increase in demand for aggregates. It has since fallen into disuse again, with no restoration or landscaping of any kind undertaken. The site, which is in a prominent position on high ground facing west and overlooking extensive areas of the Borough, is regarded as a scar on the landscape and it is desirable to reclaim the quarry and return the land to agricultural use (see Policy M11). |