A NEW housing development is to be built on a vacant plot of land next to the old East Lancashire Paper Mill.

Bury Council has given the go-ahead for Oldham-based Wiggett Construction to build 22 homes in Brook Street.

In the application, the developers said that the “redundant and dilapidated” site had been impossible to sell.

Council planning officers have agreed that the area, which had been earmarked for 20 homes and an apartment block under a previous application, is no longer suitable for employment.

A council report into the plans said: “The application site has been assessed against the detailed criteria used for non-employment generating area sites and it was concluded that the site is inappropriate for continued employment use from a land use perspective due to the restricted access and the impact upon the amenity of the adjoining residential properties.”

It added: “There are no major planning objections in relation to the development’s proximity to the Metrolink line and the development of this site, particularly as many other recent developments have occurred in closer proximity to this site.”

The estate will consist of a mix of two and three-storey houses on the site bordering the old paper mill, which has long been earmarked as a potential development site for a new high school in Radcliffe.

When the plans were first submitted, concerns were raised by the Environment Agency that the development would pose a flood risk to other homes in the area due to the loss of the flood plain.

However, those objections were withdrawn after the plans were revised.

The report adds: “The Environment Agency has no objections to the revised proposed development, subject to the inclusion of conditions relating to flood risk mitigation measures, foul and surface water drainage and contaminated land conditions.

“As such, the proposed development would not be at risk from flooding and would not increase the risk for those downstream of the proposed development.”

One objector to the plans, who owns a property in Brook Street, said that the development would have an adverse impact on nearby homes because of the increased traffic.

Matthew Hay said: “The development itself is not a bad thing, but the use of Brook Street to access the site presents numerous problems for the current residents and will undoubtedly lead to a reduction in property values for the residents of 1-11 and potentially beyond.

“It will also change current living experience of the residents from a quiet backwater street to a road that will have constant traffic on it and likely constant disruption due to the physical make up of the road itself.”

He also raised concerns over access for emergency services and waste collection vehicles.