Plans for more than 700 homes, a park and a community hub on land in East Manchester have been given the green light. The former Jacksons Brickworks site in Newton Heath which was last used for landfill in the 1990s is also set to accommodate a new secondary school.
Most of the new homes - a mix of apartments and houses - will be 'affordable'. Local councillors supported the scheme, but raised concerns about the safety of schoolchildren if the developer opens a nearby road as part of the plans.
The planning committee approved the application at a meeting on Thursday (October 21) on the condition that Hallam Road remains closed to all traffic. Your Housing Group acquired the site in February 2020 and has been working with Manchester council to develop it, with some work having already started.
Speaking after the committee meeting, chief executive Jacque Allen said the housing association is 'absolutely thrilled' that the plans have been approved. She said: "It will completely transform this large site to bring both housing, community, and economic benefits to the area.
"I would like to thank the team at Manchester City Council for their support, and the local residents who have taken their time to give their input to help us shape a development that will benefit everyone."
Labour councillor Gavin White, who is the executive member for housing and development at Manchester council said: "We know that this site has a huge amount of potential and its redevelopment will be transformational for Newton Heath. Your Housing Group are not only bringing a brownfield piece of land to deliver a large number of low carbon affordable homes for our residents, but they are bringing life back to a major site that has historically been an important part of this community.
"We also know how welcome the new secondary school, sports facilities and community space will be to local people. This development will prove to be a real exemplar in mixed-use community regeneration."
Detailed plans for a state-of-the-art secondary school, which will be built in the heart of the development, will be submitted in a separate planning application. Provisional plans outline that the school will accommodate over 1,000 pupils and will have sport pitches and a multi-use games area, which will also be available for use by the local community.
Your Housing Group have agreed to dispose of a portion of the site to the Department of Education to deliver the new school. Miles Platting and Newton Heath councillor John Flanagan said he supports the scheme, but raised concerns about the plans to open up Hallam Road.
He argued that opening the road to pedestrians and cyclists, as the developer proposed, could result in it becoming a dangerous pick up and drop off point for the neighbouring primary school. He said: "In 10 years time, when this is developed, if Hallam Road is open I really do feel worried that there could be serious injuries or deaths of little toddlers."
The planning committee deferred a decision on the development last month but approved the application with an additional condition following a site visit.
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