Plans submitted for extension to Woodford Garden Village

Harrow Estates, part of Barratt Redrow Homes, has submitted plans to extend Woodford Garden Village following two rounds of public consultation last Summer.

A sustainable mix of around 540 new homes is proposed including family housing, senior living, and self-build plots to meet Stockport Borough’s housing need. A minimum of 50% of the housing are to be affordable homes, to address significant unmet local need. While the exact tenure will be agreed with Stockport Council, it is anticipated that this will include social rent and affordable home ownership tenures. 100% of the circa 75 extra care units for older people will be affordable, again addressing significant local demand.

An extension to Woodford Garden Village will also help to meet a high-level of unmet demand for self-build and custom housing plots, through the provision of space for up to 15 units.

The landscape-led design identifies that almost 50% of the extension site, approximately 14.60 ha, will be mix of open accessible natural, semi-natural and amenity green space, which sit alongside existing features such as the surrounding woodland, watercourses, hedgerows and trees.

Enhanced biodiversity will be central to the proposals. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) will feature across the site together with a central parkland and meadow to provide ecological value. A network of green corridors will supplement the development and provide opportunities to introduce recreational pedestrian and cycle routes. Allotments, play areas and informal amenity spaces will also benefit existing and future Garden Village residents and the surrounding community.

A new mixed-use community hub is proposed within a new square, located adjacent to the Avro Heritage Museum. This hub would provide access to local facilities such as a cafe and include a community building with flexible spaces designed to meet local needs, which could range from co-working space to exhibition space. A Mobility Hub will also be located centrally within the square, to promote active travel by providing bike storage, changing facility, and cycle rental and repair. Harrow Estates is open to discussions with community groups and businesses over how the Community and Mobility Hubs can best serve the area and complement existing community provision.

Harrow Estates is also proposing an additional area of car parking space to serve visitors to Avro Golf Club. This would be accessed via the Garden Village, helping to reduce traffic and congestion reported by residents on Old Hall Lane.

Public consultations took place during June and September to seek feedback from the community. The importance of establishing strong and complementary design links with the existing Woodford Garden Village development, together with the importance of accessible public open space and infrastructure provision, were key areas of feedback. This has served to inform refinements to the development proposals.

Demand for local school places was also a matter voiced during the community consultation. The extension provides the potential to increase the size of Woodford Primary School on the Garden Village, which was designed to accommodate future additional space requirements. Harrow Estates will work with Stockport Council and stakeholders to explore local school capacity through the planning process.

The extension will utilise existing Woodford Garden Village access routes, with a network of foot and cycle path routes linking the extension with Woodford Garden Village and beyond, to promote active travel and reduce reliance on private vehicle transport.

Tim Noden, Planning Director at Harrow Estates, said:

“We are proud of what has been achieved at Woodford Garden Village and are proposing a sensitive and high quality designed extension which will complement this exceptional development. The homes proposed can play a significant role in helping to tackle the very high levels of housing need in the Borough which are currently going unmet.

“Our design is landscape-led, with almost half of the site dedicated to accessible open space. Bio-diversity improvements will be achieved through the use of SUDS, wildflower meadows, planting of hedges and extended woodlands.

“The proposed development will also be supported by enhanced facilities, including a flexible, mixed-use community hub which could accommodate a range of uses. A Mobility Hub, green spaces, play areas, allotments, and extensive footpaths and new cycle routes will create new recreational opportunities for the residents and visitors alike.

“A two-stage public consultation has allowed us to consider feedback from the early scheme principles and we thank the local community for taking the time to engage with us. With plans now submitted to Stockport Council, we look forward to further discussions with a range of stakeholders as this exciting development progresses through the planning process.”

An outline planning application has been submitted to Stockport Council which seeks to establish both the principle of development and broad design parameters. If approved, further detail on house types and design would follow separately as part of a ‘Reserved Matters’ planning application.

Woodford Garden Village secured planning consent in 2015, and since then, over 600 homes have been built on the site of the former Woodford Aerodrome. The Aviator pub restaurant and primary school are now open. Planning permission was granted for a local centre in 2023 and planning conditions are now being discharged ahead of works commencing.