172 homes planned for former gravel pit site

Plans have been submitted for 172 new homes to be built on the site of a former sand and gravel pit off Marple Road, Offerton.

Proposals by Scottish housebuilder, Stewart Milne, were first revealed in summer 2022, when an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report was published, inviting comment from Stockport Council on the scheme.

The development is expected to comprise a mix of 1- to 4-or-more-bedroom homes, as well as over 7 hectares of publicly accessible woodland and parkland, and 400 sqm children’s play area. Affordable housing provision would total 86 of the 172 total homes, or 50% of the total number of properties, although none of the largest homes with four or more bedrooms would be designated as such.

While the 57 acres site has previously been developed in the past, when it was used for sand and gravel extraction, the site is consider within the green belt area, aimed at curbing urban expansion into the countryside surrounding Greater Manchester and during pre-application negotiations, the planning application (prepared by Hourigan Planning) reveals Stockport Council had stated it would need “very special circumstances” to be met to approve the development. Plans would also need to consider the area’s transport strategy, which include benched plans for a North-South bypass through the area first proposed in 2006.

Stewart Milne also conducted a public consultation prior to submitting their planning application to Stockport Council; however, it received only two responses.