Approval has been granted for a 145-home development on the site of a former bakery and storage unit in Old Trafford. The developer is required to contribute £600,000 towards affordable housing and local amenities enhancement.
The three-acre brownfield site at Brixham Road, previously home to Valitus Ltd warehousing and the Jesse Oldfield bakery, will be cleared to make room for 123 apartments and 22 terraced houses, with 53 of these homes being affordable.
The site, bordered by Kings Road Primary School and Seymour Gove Allotments, is recognised by Trafford council as 'protected open space'. Vehicle access to the site will be via Brixham Road, while the properties will front onto Ayres Road.
A report presented to Trafford's planning committee commended YC Property Group, the applicant, for their 'positive and proactive' collaboration with the council during the planning application process, resulting in 'a high-quality design'.
"Officers consider that the architectural quality is excellent, appropriate and would deliver positive changes to the character and appearance of this area," the report stated, adding that the layout could accommodate a high-quality landscape scheme.
However, ten letters of objection from nearby residents and another from Old Trafford Amateur Gardeners' Society (OTAGS) on behalf of Seymour Grove Allotments and Orchard 49 (an orchard within the allotments) were submitted against the scheme.
The development's dust generation and its impact on plant cultivation, including food contamination and soil damage, were cited as reasons for the allotments to be 'protected and cherished'. However, the committee decided it was 'minded to grant' the application, with the final decision delegated to Rebecca Coley, the head of planning.
This is subject to a legal agreement between the developer and the council over a £318,565 contribution towards the 37% affordable housing, an additional £30,000 towards open space provisions; £220,000 towards secondary education provision and £15,000 to cover a review of traffic restrictions in the area.
