UDP - Chapter 25 - Mossley
Unitary Development Plan
Chapter 25
Mossley
| Ref | Proposal | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| MOS1 | The former gas holder site at Manchester Road to be developed for housing, and to include suitable river and canalside treatment. | MOS1. This is a partially reclaimed 0.6 hectare, level, derelict site, currently containing a small amount of open storage, which is situated between the River Tame and the Huddersfield Canal at the northern end of the town. Its southern boundary fronts onto Manchester Road with both industrial premises and terraces of housing nearby, and land to the north of the site has been reused for stables. Land to the east has recently been developed for housing. A temporary planning permission for tipping on the site of the former gas holder was granted in 1987, to be completed within 3 years, and while some of the work has been achieved further reclamation work is still required.
Although previously considered for employment use, it is appropriate that this site be developed for housing, which should avoid any conflict with the adjacent, recently developed housing scheme to the east and improve the appearance of this river and canalside location. Suitable canalside treatment is required, to ensure that there are no adverse effects upon the nature conservation value of the canal and that the development enhances the environment of the waterway, as part of the wider strategy of improving and exploiting the benefits of the Borough's canal network. |
| MOS2 | Development Opportunity Area: the area bounded by Manchester Road and the Huddersfield Canal, running south from the vacant Tameside Windows factory and Woodend Mill through to (and including) Victoria Mill on the River Tame, incorporating the Milton and Carrhill Mills, the site of the former Border Mill and a disused private playing pitch.
There is potential here for a comprehensive approach to regeneration. This could involve relocation and expansion of existing commercial and industrial operations, provision of improved accommodation for small businesses including small factory units and workshop facilities, a limited amount of residential development, refurbishment, conversion and re-use of existing vacant buildings and reclamation of derelict Any development proposals to include suitable river and canalside treatment. |
MOS2. This is an extensive area of the valley bottom running through the northern part of Mossley, historically representing a large portion of its industrial core and still containing the town's largest employer. The area is dominated by mills overlooking the River Tame and the Huddersfield Canal and which form important and striking landmarks for the town, most notably Woodend and Milton Mills. However, much of the floorspace in certain of these mills is disused and their layout may not be conducive to modern production methods. The area also contains derelict and under-used land, and has various access constraints. Land on the opposite (east) side of the Huddersfield Canal has generally been upgraded for informal recreation and provides an attractive landscape setting.
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal forms the eastern boundary of the area and will be an important consideration within any proposals. The canal is important for nature conservation, being a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Grade A Site of Biological Importance, as well as being the major area for informal recreation within Mossley. Proposals must not adversely affect these interests, and development alongside the canal may require the retention or creation of a green buffer and the inclusion of screening or landscaping. Development should complement the wider strategy of improving and exploiting the recreational, economic, environmental and nature conservation value of the Borough's canal network. The continued environmental improvements in the Tame Valley and the restoration of the canal is something the site can both benefit from and contribute to. The Council will be proactively seeking a comprehensive approach to the regeneration of this area, which offers the greatest potential of any part of the town to retain and even expand local employment opportunities. Implementation of such proposals would allow for the retention and expansion of existing employment generating operations, the re-use of a vacant modern industrial building, the conservation and re-use of the visually important buildings where practical, the resolution of access problems and suitable canalside and riverside treatment. Proposals should take advantage of the relationship to the River Tame and the Huddersfield Canal, so as to provide a high quality environment, but also need to take account of the function of part of the area as a flood plain. |
| MOS3 | Land at Waterton Lane to be reclaimed for housing development. | MOS3. This is a Council owned, vacant site of 1.0 hectares, which is located close to the Brookbottom town centre on the north eastern side. It is in an untidy and mostly overgrown condition, with the derelict base of a mill and various garages and concrete hard standings present. The site is bordered by housing on three sides with industrial premises to the north east. The western part of the site has planning permission for development of 18 dwellings, granted in June 1991, and a further consent for 25 dwellings on the same area granted in November 1994. It is proposed that eventually all the site will be developed once access constraints are resolved, with the opportunity to provide low cost housing for local people and to include a children's play area to meet needs in this part of the town. |
| MOS4 | Site of the former Hollins and Springbank Mills, at Staley Road and Micklehurst Road, to be developed for housing.
To include provision for a landscaped footpath link through to Huddersfield Road. |
MOS4. Situated in the Micklehurst area on the eastern side of the town, this is a 2.9 hectare, vacant and derelict site in a steep sloping valley formerly occupied by two mills. The mills have been cleared, although some ancillary buildings are still present. The surrounding area is now almost entirely residential in character, with the site of Proposal MOS5 bordering to the north east. The Council was minded to grant outline planning permission for housing development in January 1990, with 0.9 hectares of the site proposed to be laid out as public open space. However, this was subject to the signing of a Section 106 Agreement which failed to happen, and the application was refused in March 1994. Staley Brook flows through the site close to its western boundary, with Micklehurst Brook at the north east corner. A 5 metre wide strip along Staley Brook should be retained to improve linkage between the town and the Tame valley to the west, and Castle Clough and Stalybridge Country Park to the south. |
| MOS5 | Land at Micklehurst Road to be developed for housing.
To include provision for a landscaped footpath link through to Huddersfield Road.
|
MOS5. This unused and sloping site, on the eastern side of the town and adjacent to Proposals MOS4 and MOS6, covers an area of 2.1 hectares. It is bordered by housing to the north and south, and by long established industrial premises to the east. The site is in multiple ownership and therefore will require land assembly. As part of the development, it is expected that an east-west footpath link will be provided, improving accessibility from the town and routes along the valley bottom to the upper slopes of the valley and onto the moors. |
| MOS6 | Land at Huddersfield Road, adjacent to Buckley Buildings, to be developed for housing. | MOS6. This land covers an area of 0.7 hectares and is situated on the west side of Huddersfield Road between Richmond Crescent and Buckley Buildings, on the eastern edge of the Micklehurst built up area. The field is sloping and overgrown, and a public footpath runs along its south west boundary. Adjoining uses are industrial to the north and housing to the west. The site was granted outline planning permission for residential development in November 1990 and a detailed consent for 23 homes was granted in April 1994. |
| MOS7 | The town centre area at Brookbottom, on Arundel Street and Stamford Street, to be enhanced by improvements to road and footpath surfacing, the market ground, street furniture and landscaping. | MOS7. Mossley is distinctive in that it has two relatively small shopping centres situated less than half a mile from each other, located on separate but parallel main roads. Brookbottom or "Top" Mossley is located high up on the western side of the valley and contains the market place and community facilities. The shops are positioned on two roads which operate as a one-way loop on the A670.
Both centres are important in meeting local needs, and their protection (e.g. through resistance of changes of use where this would significantly reduce the number of convenience retailers) and support through positive measures is an important part of the Borough's retail strategy. Whilst levels of through traffic in Top Mossley are lower than those affecting certain other town centres in Tameside, there is scope for enhancing the appearance and quality of the street scene in a co-ordinated way. This should improve the shopping environment and help to give confidence to local businesses. |
| MOS8 | Road and footpath treatment in the shopping area on Manchester Road, to enhance conditions for pedestrians and improve the street scene whilst still allowing through traffic movement. | MOS8. The "Lower" Mossley shopping centre is located along a section of the A635 Manchester Road, just above the valley floor to the east and near the rail station. The importance of protecting and supporting this centre is equal to that of Top Mossley (see Proposal MOS7). However, the difficult issue on Manchester Road is that of achieving a safer and more attractive shopping environment whilst enabling through traffic to continue to pass through the area fairly efficiently. The emphasis is therefore likely to be on an appropriate form of traffic calming and surface treatment. |
| MOS9 | Land at Egmont Street to be laid out for enhanced recreational facilities.
To include reclamation of land south west of the |
MOS9. It is intended that this site, which is a notified flood plain within an open section of the Tame Valley, close to the built up area at the southern end of the town, should be consolidated to become a focus for outdoor recreation serving the local population. This site already contains two grassed football pitches on the Council owned playing field at the northern end. It is proposed that the unused and previously tipped land to the south of this be reclaimed to provide complementary uses.
Improved facilities for the whole site could include an all weather pitch, bowling green, children's playground and better changing accommodation. A riverside footpath providing improved linkage to Scout Green and the Huddersfield Canal would also represent an important aspect of this scheme, as would additional planting, particularly on the river frontage, to create a more informal landscape setting appropriate to the valley. The southern part of this proposal is effectively a continuation of Proposal 76 in the Tame Valley Local Plan. |
| MOS10 | Sludge beds and reservoirs in the Carrbrook valley north west of Carrbrook village to be reclaimed and the area retained and enhanced for nature conservation and informal recreation.
To include provision for extension of footpaths through to Huddersfield Road and across the clough from Castle Farm to School Lane. |
MOS10. This very steep sided and in many places thickly wooded valley, extending north westwards from the edge of Carrbrook village in Stalybridge, has great natural beauty and ecological value, being recognised as a Site of Biological Importance. It also provides an important amenity area to local residents and enhances the nearby Conservation Area. The valley itself runs on to Huddersfield Road but only the section owned by the Council is included in this proposal.
No large scale changes are required and protection and enhancement of the wildlife and landscape value of the area is paramount, but contamination in the old sludge beds may need to be treated and there is scope to improved footpath access. This proposal is similar in principle to Proposal 77 of the Tame Valley Local Plan and Proposal 6.6 of the North East Stalybridge Local Plan, both of which extend through to Huddersfield Road. |
| MOS11 | Carrbrook Valley, east of Carrbrook village up to and including Cowbury Dale, to be enhanced and improved for public access and informal recreational use. |
MOS11. The acquisition of this moorland valley, situated to the south of Buckton Quarry, by the Council some years ago opens up the opportunity to provide further footpaths from Carrbrook village up to the reservoir and the edge of the wider moors. Such measures will improve public access to an attractive open space which is capable of further enhancement through planting and management as part of the country park.
The proposal includes the site of the former Chemstar solvent recovery plant, where a specialist reclamation scheme was recently finished and which has been laid out as open space. Other proposals in the Plan provide the scope for an almost continuous footpath link from Buckton Vale through to the Tame valley in the centre of Mossley. This is effectively a continuation of Proposals 6.0 (part of) and 6.3 in the North East Stalybridge Local Plan. Stalybridge Country Park Stalybridge Country Park is divided into two areas; the Brushes valley which is referred to under Proposal STA20 and the Carr Brook valley which falls mostly within Mossley. The proposals MOS10 and MOS11 are within this latter part of the country park. In both areas measures are to be undertaken with the objective of providing attractive and informal recreation opportunities for local people and visitors and to allow for wider enjoyment and recognition of the country park. Works may include improvement of access and signing, removal of unsightly structures, additional planting, and the provision of toilet and parking facilities. |
| MOS12 | Land between the River Tame and the Huddersfield Canal, from Roaches Lock to Woodend Mill, to be planted to enhance its appearance and provide a refuge for wildlife. | MOS12. The aim of this proposal, located within a section of the Tame valley in the north of the town where land uses are mixed, is to complement other improvement initiatives for attractive open space along the river corridor. This narrow strip of land should form part of the Roaches recreation area, and its limited access lends the site to function as a nature refuge, with some provision for picnicking, sitting, etc. The proposal is a continuation of Proposal 63 in the Tame Valley Local Plan, which covers a slightly greater area. |
| MOS13 | Riverside slopes and adjoining land east of Manchester Road, north of Queen Street, to be improved through landscaping and footpath works. | MOS13. These riverside slopes situated just north of the Manchester Road shopping area are a prominent feature but marred by tipping in parts. A scheme to enhance the slopes and the small area of land around them, taking advantage of the tree cover which has grown up in places, would do much to improve the appearance of this site. This is an almost identical continuation of Proposal 69 in the Tame Valley Local Plan. |
| MOS16 | Mossley Cemetery to be added to the Green Belt. | MOS16. This Council owned land at the southern end of Cemetery Road and Regents Drive forms a protrusion into the Green Belt which extends from Stamford golf course to the southern edge of the Mossley built up area. The function of the Green Belt at this point is to separate Mossley from north east Stalybridge, and this would be re-inforced by this natural and small scale extension. |
| MOS18 | Land at Huddersfield Road, south of Hey Farm Estate, to be developed for housing.
The Site of Biological Importance alongside the Staley Way footpath to be retained as open space. |
MOS18. This extensive, grassed hillside site has an area of 12.7 hectares and is located on the east side of the Tame Valley, between the Hey Farm housing estate to the north, Huddersfield Road to the east, the detached playing fields of Mossley Hollins School to the south, and the Staley Way footpath along the former railway line to the west. Although quite clearly an open land site, and easily visible from other parts of the town, it effectively lies within the urban framework of Mossley. It had been allocated for residential development in the earlier informal development plan for Mossley, and there appears to be no major, practical obstacles to development over the majority of the site. However, the site does include a Site of Biological Importance (Puddle Clay Pits - Grade B) on its lower, western side, which should be protected from development. This constraint is likely to reduce the developable area to approximately 10.2 hectares.
The Council will prepare a development brief setting out various issues which will need to be taken into account in formulating detailed proposals for this site. The brief will address, among other things, road access and associated safety measures, protection of the ecological value of the Puddle Clay Pits, wildlife links through the site, adequacy of local school provision, local playspace and shopping facilities, crime prevention and site drainage. |
| MOS19 | Land at Manchester Road and Calf Lane to be developed for housing. | MOS19. This is the 0.6 hectare site of the recently demolished Red Sign Garage, situated on the western side of Manchester Road at the north- eastern tip of Mossley. The land forms a plateau which has been raised above the open land to the rear. Outline planning permission was granted in September 1991 and again in September 1994. |