Another attempt is being made to build homes on land previously targeted by fly-tippers.
Planning permission for 19 properties at the former Forge Dye Works on Congleton Road was granted back in 2015 following the resubmission of an application by a company called Renew Land. It had been refused the previous year.
The application was given the go-ahead subject to 30 planning conditions, but building work never commenced.
Two years later, 600 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish was dumped at the site.
Now, Envidia Homes, of Poulton-le-Fylde, has re-submitted the application to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and also wants to vary the planning condition that related to floor plans and elevations in the various types of housing proposed.
A design and access statement with the application said: “The redevelopment of this site will create an important new element in the area and re-balance the local housing market.
“Envidia Homes are acutely aware of the need for these proposals to be an appropriate form of development for the area and make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the immediate vicinity.”
The L-shaped site measures approximately 1.66 hectares.
The buildings of the former dye works have been demolished but some of the retaining walls, together with floor slabs and hard standings still remain, the statement said.
The housing development would comprise a mixture of three- and four-bed detached and semi-detached houses, together with eight three-bedroom mews houses classed as affordable housing, with associated vehicular access, amenity spaces and parking.
The application said the scheme had been designed to “create the feel of a sweeping crescent while creating an appropriate interface with the adjoining countryside”.
The report said it was the adjacent streets, Congleton Road and Fold Lane, that had mainly influenced the architect’s designs.
“The use of reconstituted stone walling, cottage-style windows, boarding and render together with pitched roof front canopies help to create a distinct character that is appropriate to this location.”
Biddulph Coun Andrew Hart welcomed the plans and explained why he believed work had not started after the go-ahead was given 11 years ago.
“It’s a brownfield site in the green belt and therefore by de facto default it should be developed and meets the Government criteria for development – I’m very much in favour of sensible development.
“I reckon the previous applicants were fed up with the number of planning conditions that came with approval and saw no possibility of making a penny, but it’s a perfect site for redevelopment.”
The plan is classed as a “major application” by the district council because, the authority said on its website, they “are usually more complicated than other types of application and often need a much wider consultation than normal householder applications. As a result, major applications may take longer to decide and the case officer may need to negotiate with several parties to reconcile issues or negotiate planning agreements”.
