Bid to turn former mill site into community housing amid lush landscape
A developer has submitted plans to create a range of new homes, in a lush landscape, on a former mill site near Rochdale.
Hall & Co is behind proposals for Tack Lea Works, a 4.2-acre scheme in Birtle.
The scheme offers a new model for sustainable living, says the company, with 26 homes and six apartments taking inspiration from the area’s agricultural past.
It offers a mixture of property sizes from two-bed apartments to five-bed detached houses, all within a layout designed to nurture the creation of a close community.
The development will include a mix of stone cottages and mill houses, reflecting local character, with red brick and stone walls and slate roofs.
The cottages will offer a contemporary version of the traditional style, while the mill buildings will feature vertically proportioned windows and gabled frontages.
The new community will enjoy a woodland walk and plentiful outdoor recreational space, designed in keeping with the site’s historic agricultural past and helping to reduce residents’ carbon footprint.
Sustainability sits at the heart of Tack Lea Works, with homes super-insulated to minimise heating and cooling requirements. The scheme will reduce energy consumption and water usage, incorporating rain water housing and at least one renewable energy source.
A net gain in biodiversity value will ensure animals and plants are able to adjust to a changing climate, with water efficiency and water recycling measures minimising the potential for drought.
Jamie Hall, director at Hall & Co, said: “Our plans for Tack Lea Works would deliver 32 high quality new homes in a highly sustainable setting, each thoughtfully designed to reflect Birtle’s agricultural past and to create a thriving new community built on shared values.
“We’re pleased to be able to reveal our plans for the site and look forward to progressing this exciting new development, transforming a well located, underused site and returning it to positive use.”
Hall & Co is a family-run property developer with a reputation for quality and good design. It is under way with a host of exciting projects including the regeneration of Stockport’s Underbanks and a 2.5-acre village community in Macclesfield, Flora Henbury, which follows the same sustainable living principles as Tack Lea.
It also recently released the first two plots at Kings Row, Macclesfield, a 10-home development, part of the wider redevelopment of the former school site.
