Oldham refuses 37 affordable homes against officer recommendation
Summary
Oldham councillors refused outline permission for 37 affordable homes in Royton, despite a planning officer recommendation for approval. The committee cited highway safety, land contamination, flooding and the loss of a designated green corridor, with members warned that these reasons could be vulnerable on appeal.
Why it matters
The decision highlights how local planning committees can diverge from technical officer advice on sites with flood risk and environmental constraints. Surveyors involved in residential development, planning support or due diligence should note the appeal and costs risk where refusal reasons are not well supported by evidence.
Key points
- Outline application for 37 affordable homes on private grazing land off Broadway was refused.
- Councillors raised concerns over highway safety, contamination, flooding and loss of green corridor.
- The site lies within flood zones 2 and 3 and is designated as a green corridor in the local plan.
- Planning officers had recommended approval, judging the affordable housing benefits to outweigh the green corridor loss.
- Members were warned that refusal reasons could expose the council to costs on appeal.
This is an RPSA summary of a publicly available article. The full content remains with the original publisher.
