Proposal to build houses 92 new houses in Glossop

A petition has been created to oppose plans to build 92 new houses on land off Dinting Vale, known as Adderley Place. 

Housing developer Wainhomes are proposing to build 92 houses on the plot of land and if successful, High Peak Borough Council intend to build an extra 30-40 homes on the same site. 

This proposal has caused controversy in the local community, with an online petition created that has more than 500 signatures against the idea. 

The housing site access would be opposite Dinting Vale Primary School on the A57, which many have said would cause a plethora of issues regarding traffic increasing on an already busy road as well as difficulties with school pick up time and parking. 

The A57 is already designated as an Air Quality Management Area. Potentially, the level of air pollution in the area will be increased due to the traffic levels, leading to concerns around the impact on the health of people in particular children in the area. 

Comments on the petition raise concerns such as there are currently no plans to improve the infrastructure to support these plans and there are currently no plans to make the houses ‘affordable’.  The residents around the area have expressed their concerns as the area would be disrupted for approximately three to five years if the plan goes ahead. One resident said: “There is no benefit to the community, its access would be directly opposite a school on a road which is already known for its traffic jams.” 

“All this would do is add to the already ongoing problems.” 

“There is currently a two year waiting list for local NHS dentists, protracted doctors appointments and over crowded schools and this won’t solve that ongoing issue.”

"Another concern is children crossing the busy road which would become even busier if the development goes ahead."

Adderley Place is a known natural beauty spot that is popular with dog walkers and local residents, it’s also a green space that houses wildlife. According to the Woodland Trust, trees absorb harmful pollutants and improve air quality, making them crucial for the environment and public health. 

This particular planning application was refused unanimously by High Peak Borough Council Development Control Committee in October 2023 on the following points: 

1. The A57 Dinting Vale is already designated as an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and there is potential for the level of air pollution in the area to be further increased due to increased traffic levels, leading to concerns around the impact on health of people, in particular children, in the area. Whilst it is acknowledged that the developer proposes Section 106 Contributions towards Air Quality Monitoring in the area and sustainable travel feasibility studies, this will not mitigate the actual impact of the development. As such the proposal is contrary to Policy EQ10 of the adopted High Peak Local Plan 2016 and the NPPF.

2. The position of the proposed highway access road from the A57, part of which lies outside the Local Plan allocation, in close proximity to the school, would result in an unacceptable risk to road safety. The proposal therefore fails to achieve safe and suitable access contrary to Policy CF6 of the adopted High Peak Local Plan 2016 and the NPPF. 

3. The proposed section 106 package fails to achieve a policy compliant level of affordable housing and fails to fully mitigate for the substantial tree loss and loss of biodiversity on the site. Whilst the viability issues are noted, in the absence of a policy compliant Section 106 package the residual harm arising from the development is considered to outweigh the benefits of delivering this allocated housing site contrary to Policies DS4, EQ9, EQ5, H3 and H4 of the adopted High Peak Local Plan 2016 and the NPPF. 

4. There is potential for the public right of way onto Simmondley Lane to be used as a “rat-run” for vehicle access, and the absence of any detailed and workable proposals for preventative measures within the application, which would also allow the access rights for existing residents to be maintained, the proposal is considered to pose a risk to the safety of users of the right of way and a highway safety risk at the junction with Simmondley Lane contrary to Policies EQ6 and CF6 of the adopted High Peak Local Plan 2016 and the NPPF.

Commenting, Robert Largan MP, said: “Dinting Vale is a completely inappropriate place for road access for a major new housing development, especially given the primary school and the already heavily congested road. 

“Given the huge pressure on infrastructure and public services locally, we need to focus on getting the Mottram Bypass built. I sincerely hope that the Planning Inspectorate upholds the original decision to reject this planning application.”

 A decision will be made in the upcoming weeks.

The petition can be signed here: https://www.change.org/p/halt-wainhomes-development-a57-opposite-dinting-primary-school?recruiter=1335297341&recruited_by_id=9ede13f0-ebbb-11ee-a9b4-294e5828cc48&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=85293e2cbbe940cd879be87f3f917d08&utm_medium=facebook