Legal victory for Rochdale campaigners

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop the redevelopment of a Rochdale beauty spot have won a legal battle after the local council agreed that the decision to grant planning permission was unlawful.
 
Local residents had challenged Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council’s decision to give planning permission and conservation area consent to the redevelopment of Rakewood Lower Mill which would have turned the derelict Mill into a  27 residential properties.

But though most residents support some form of redevelopment for the mill,  the plans were not popular with local people who were worried that much of the earliest parts of the existing mill that have the greatest relevance to the nearby listed buildings would be demolished and that the size and scale of the development was not in keeping with the local conservation area. 

They turned to specialist lawyers in the public law team at Irwin Mitchell in Manchester to challenge the planning consent.
 
Last year more than 4,800 people signed a petition against the redevelopment – as well as concerns about how it would affect the visual landscape – there were concerns about traffic around Hollingworth Lake which is a well-known location for enjoying the scenery.

Expert environmental lawyers at Irwin Mitchell argued that the decision to grant planning permission and conservation consent was unlawful because the planning officers’ reports failed to summarise fairly or accurately the consultation response from the council’s conservation and design team.
 
Now the judge has agreed that Rochdale council’s decision to give permission should be quashed and the council will have to re-take its decision.
 
The campaigners argued that councillors were wrongly advised on the impact of the development on the conservation area and the setting of nearby listed buildings.
 
Justin Neal, a specialist environment lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the local residents, said: “The councillors weren’t properly informed about the impact of the designs and they were also not fully appraised of their legal duties in relation to the conservation area.
 
“The land surrounding the mill is woodland that is home to many species of birds and bats while footpaths also run through the area and the listed buildings of Hollingworth Fold are nearby.
 
“Our client like many local residents was against this scheme. She is relieved that the court has ruled in her favour and the Council will have to review the application again.”