FULL plans have been submitted to build more than 50 houses on a former Harwood school site.

Developer McDermott Homes has submitted proposals to create the new 56-house estate on land in Hough Fold Way, where Longsight School used to be based.

The school was demolished in 2009 and the brownfield site has remained vacant ever since.

Outline permission was granted to the council, through its PSP LLP partnership, which allowed 56 houses to be built on the site.

At the time, local councillors registered concerns that as part of the plans, it was proposed that a pond could be created next to a children’s play area in one corner of the site.

From the latest application, it would appear that McDermott has decided not to take up the option of including a pond or a play area.

The 1.77 hectare site is classed as brownfield land and is in the council’s allocated housing plan.

The planned houses will be two storeys high.

They will be a mix of three and four bedroom detached houses as well as three bed semi-detached properties and two bed mews units.

The developer said the houses — which will be two storey, brick built with pitched tiled roofs and white framed windows — will be designed to complement the area.

Cllr Mudasir Dean, who represents the Bradshaw ward in which the site is based and is also a member of the planning committee, said he is pleased to see the pond and playground aspects removed from the plans.

He said: “When the outline permission was granted last year, we made a point that we didn’t think those things were appropriate and could lead to anti-social behaviour.

“I think 56 houses is the maximum number of houses that should be allowed there — I would be against the plans if it was for any more units.

“I also want a 100 per cent guarantee that there won’t be flooding issues in the area, because there have been problems for the residents around there before.”

He added: “But it is a brownfield site in the council’s allocations plan and building on these areas can protect greenbelt land — I will look forward to judging the application on its merits at committee.”

A planning statement, submitted with the application, states: “There are a number of benefits achieved by the development including the reuse of urban wasteland, thus preventing anti-social behaviour on a vacant site, the creation of construction jobs, a well-designed scheme with a mixture of house types to allow residents of the local community to ‘trade up’ or ‘trade down’ in order to remain in the local area.”