Bloor Homes Littleborough Consultation
Welcome
Bloor Homes is excited to be bringing forward proposals for around 315 new homes, set around a new central park and tree-lined green corridor linking Hollingworth Lake to the Rochdale Canal. Our plans also include land for a new primary school and new additional car parking at Hollingworth Lake Country Park.
The site off Hollingworth Road has been allocated for the development of new homes by Rochdale Council in the Places for Everyone plan. With the principle of development for housing in this location established, Bloor Homes is now preparing a planning application, which includes details such as the layout of the neighbourhood as well as the design of the new homes.
In order that our development best captures and reflects, as far as possible, the comments of local people, we are undertaking a public consultation. Please take a look at the details of our proposals on this website and provide your feedback via the online portal.
Public Consultation
Bloor Homes is committed to consulting with the local community regarding our plans. We have prepared this consultation website to enable the community to learn more about the proposals and share its views.
This consultation closed at 11:59pm on Tuesday 11 June.
About Bloor Homes
Bloor Homes was established in 1969 when John Bloor founded the company and built its first home. Every possible detail was taken into consideration back then to create a beautiful home. The same is still true today. More than 50 years later, it is one of the largest privately owned house-building groups in the UK.
The family ethos behind Bloor Homes is evident in the way that it conducts its business. With a unique approach to building for a business of its size, it looks at the bigger picture before starting on any residential proposal. As a family-owned business, it commits to responsible development, and stays involved with its new communities over the long-term.
For more information regarding the Bloor Group, please visit www.bloorhomes.com.
Masterplan
Our masterplan shares the ambitions Rochdale Council has for the site.
The proposals incorporate:
- Around 315 new family homes in a mix of types and styles, suitable for a wide variety of people with different needs
- Affordable homes as part of the new neighbourhood, paving the way for first time buyers
- A central parkland, creating a tree-lined green corridor connecting the Rochdale Canal through to Hollingworth Lake
- Cycling and walking routes throughout the neighbourhood
- Dedicated land for a new primary school
The key elements are labelled on the indicative plan.
Our Proposals for Hollingworth Road
Bloor Homes has developed a masterplan for this site which will deliver a green, walkable and thoughtfully designed new neigbourhood. This includes high quality homes to meet local needs and enhanced public open spaces, alongside land for a new primary school and alternative car parking for visitors to Hollingworth Lake.
Our plans will comprise the following:
- Around 315 much-needed new family homes
- Beautiful landscaping in and around the new neighbourhood, including the creation of a Central Parkland
- All homes will meet the Future Homes Standard, using the best technology available and access to super fast broadband
- Electric vehicle charging access for all properties
- A network of footpaths and cycleways through the site that link up with existing Public Rights of Way and National Cycle Network Route 66
- A vision that complements development on the adjacent former AkzoNobel site
- Easy access to local shops and facilities in Littleborough and Smithy Bridge
- Land designated for a new primary school
- The incorporation of sustainable drainage systems
The site comprises 19.2ha of farmland at Hollingworth Road, Littleborough, Rochdale.
It is bounded to the south-west by existing homes and to the north-west by the Rochdale Canal and a railway line. Hollingworth Lake is located towards the southeast of the site, beyond the existing visitor car park. Vistry Partnerships control the former Akzo Nobel site adjacent to the north, with construction underway for new homes.
There are a range of local facilities and services nearby, which will be accessible to future residents through walking and cycling routes and avoiding the need to use private cars. This makes the site a sustainable location for new homes and will provide more choice of housing for local people who wish to live in Littleborough.
Some of the key local facilities nearest to the site in Littleborough town centre include a Post Office, library, supermarkets, and various other local shops, public houses, takeaways and cafes, all of which are an approximate 1 km walk (10 to 12 minutes) from the site. Cafés, bars and restaurants close to Hollingworth Lake are within walking distance of the site.
Littleborough is served by three medical centres (Littleborough Health Centre, The Village Medical Centre, Trinity Medical Centre), and Bloor Homes proposes land designated for the development of a new primary school within the site.
The new neighbourhood at Hollingworth Road will be based on a set sustainable development principles:
Community
The layout of the proposed neighbourhood and facilities will ensure that the site offers:
- A compact and well-designed layout providing recreation and exercise space for all residents within an easy walk
- Connected green spaces easily accessible to all
- Enhanced biodiversity by providing new trees, hedges, and other planting as part of a new green infrastructure network
- The retention of existing trees and hedgerows across the site, where possible
- Land retained within the site for a new primary school to reduce car journeys
Water Management
- The use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) will help reduce the volume and rate of surface water runoff from the new neighbourhood
- The drainage strategy will employ storage methods where viable such as ponds and underground tanks, to attenuate flow, remove pollutants, and ensure that runoff to existing watercourses is restricted according to the existing hydrology of the site
- All SuDS elements will be sized to accommodate increased flows from potential future climate change
- Using permeable hard surfaces and attenuation ponds, the site-wide water management and drainage solution will avoid any increase in surface water run-off to the natural watercourses
Movement
The movement strategy, where possible, will:
- Reduce carbon emissions by promoting active travel
- Provide convenient and safe spaces for walking and cycling within the site
- Include facilities to encourage cycling
- Create a network of safe walking and cycle routes under good natural surveillance
- Enable residents to use and enjoy space around homes whilst maintaining vehicular access
- Incorporate infrastructure for electric car charging throughout the neighbourhood
Energy and Resources
- All homes built to meet the Future Homes Standard, based on the best technology available
- Electric vehicle charging points
- Super-Fast Broadband (enabling more home working and less reliance on cars for travelling to work)
Our planning application will be accompanied by a Transport Assessment, which will assess the use of the local road network with and without our proposals.
Vehicle access to the neighbourhood will be provided by two entrance points from Hollingworth Road, both would have dedicated turning lanes, as shown on the drawing. Pedestrian and cycle links would also be provided from Lake Bank, Higher Bank Road, Highlands, Bridge Bank Road, Brown Lodge Street and the Rochdale Canal.
We recognise concerns around the flow of traffic at some key junctions. The results of traffic modelling will be set out within the Transport Assessment, which will be submitted as part of the planning application. The Transport Assessment will contain details of predicted traffic flows on local roads and will be considered by the highway authority following our submission.
Visitor Car Park off Rakewood Road
As part of our plans we are proposing to move the existing car park at Hollingworth Road to an expanded provision at Hollingworth Lake Country Park.
The extra spaces will weave into the landscape and incorporate:
- A distinct woodland setting with new native planting
- Wildflower meadow and picnic area
- Accessible parking spaces
- New coach parking provision
Next Steps
Bloor Homes will review feedback received during the consultation and will submit a planning application following the consultation. The feedback will be summarised in the Statement of Community Involvement, submitted as part of the planning application.
Benefits of the development
In terms of key benefits, the development will:
- Provide a mix of around 315 family homes in an accessible and sustainable location to help meet the future housing needs of Littleborough
- Affordable homes as part of the new neighbourhood, paving the way for first time buyers
- Provide land for a new primary school in the south east corner of the site
- Facilitate the development of a new car park for visitors to Hollingworth Lake
- Deliver an integrated and high-quality network of public open space, green connections, and walking and cycling infrastructure, which will significantly improve access between the site, Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale Canal, the two railway stations and Littleborough town centre
- Maximise the site’s Pennine fringe setting with a landscape led approach to development which makes the most of the site’s existing landscape features and the natural setting
- Support Rochdale Council’s vision for the site and wider Littleborough Station masterplan
Have your say
Our community consultation launched on Tuesday 28th May and closed at 11:59pm on Tuesday 11th June. We would like to thank the local community for participating in the consultation and for providing their feedback.
We will be reviewing the feedback received from our consultation and produce a Statement of Community Involvement. This statement will be one part of our forthcoming planning application and reflect the feedback received.
Register your interest in a new home
Are you interested in one of our new homes at Hollingworth Lake? If so, please use our registration form so we can keep you informed of our progress.
Contact us
You can contact us and/or leave your feedback in the following ways:
Telephone: 0800 066 8941