Planning Brief Unity Mill Pole Acre Lane, Woodley March 2010 Economic Regeneration Service Communities Regeneration and Environment Directorate 1 PLANNING BRIEF Unity Mill, Pole Acre Lane, Woodley 1.0 OBJECTIVE 1.1 The purpose of this document is to provide planning guidance for the future use of the Unity Mill site. 1.2 This brief has been prepared by the Economic Regeneration Service, Communities Regeneration and Environment Directorate, Stockport Council. 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 Location and Context The Unity Mill complex is located off Pole Acre Lane, Woodley (see Plan 1 in Appendix). The area in which it is located is semi–rural in character and on the fringe of the built up area between Stockport, Hyde and Denton. The mill is situated in an isolated location between the Peak Forest Canal and a main railway line. The main access is off an unnamed and unadopted street from Poleacre Lane, leading from Hyde Road. 2.2 Opportunities The mill buildings overlook the Peak Forest Canal and are within the Peak Forest Canal Conservation Area. A conservation area character appraisal, carried out by the Council in 2008 in accordance with English Heritage guidance on ‘Conservation Area Appraisals’ (2006), identifies the mill as a key unlisted building which contributes positively to the character of the conservation area. The mill complex is included in the Council’s local list of buildings of local historic, architectural or other special character interest. The buildings have been empty for some time and there are opportunities for new uses. 2 3.0 SITE INFORMATION 3.1 Site Description The site area is approximately 1.46ha (see Plan 2 in Appendix). The site is occupied by a four storey main brick mill building, constructed in the 1860s as a textile mill for the cotton industry. The building has rectangular windows with stone cills and brick arches and has a gabled slate roof. Other features include : • a possible engine house to the rear of the mill building. • an octagonal brick chimney and a possible boiler house. • an office block at the front • a disused bowling green at the front. An overgrown canal wharf is located at the rear of the site. The site is vacant and surrounded by security fencing. Group 4 Securities currently monitors these premises. The site is bounded: • to the north by a wooded area and open fields • to the south by woodland and an area of housing off Davenport Drive • to the east by open space, a railway line (Manchester/Sheffield), Poleacre Lane and an area of housing • to the west by the Peak Forest Canal and woodland. 3.2 Existing Land Use Up to December 2002 the site had been used for the manufacture of products for the food, animal feed and brewing sector. Manufacture ceased there in 2003 and the mill has been empty since then. 3.3 Ownership The site is in private ownership. 3.4 Planning History There are no outstanding Planning Applications or Enforcement Actions relating to the buildings or site. Application (Ref. DC024375) for Certificate of Lawfulness for established use (Sec 191): The Council certified on 24th November 2006 that on 2nd October 2006 the use of Unity Mill for Class B2 (General Industrial) purposes was lawful as such permitted change of use rights conferred by the GDPO 1995 would allow Class B1 (Business) use or Class B8 (Storage & Distribution) use limited to 235 square metres 3 3.5 Public Utilities It is assumed that main services are readily available and that details can be obtained from the appropriate statutory provider. It is the responsibility however of the developer to satisfy themselves in this regard. 4.0 SITE FEATURES AND CONSTRAINTS 4.1 Building Condition As the site is secure it has not been possible to carry out a survey of the condition of the buildings. A full condition survey will need to be carried out by the owner to inform the future development of the site. 4.2 Historic Background The mill buildings are considered to be of archaeological and historic interest and are included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record (Ref MGM 3239). The mill is thought to have been constructed in the 1860s for spinning cotton and was formerly known as Trianon Mill. By the 1890’s the mill was converted to a rubber works1 then back again to a textile mill. The site has been used for the manufacture of products for the food, animal feed and brewing sector until it closed in December 2003. A former canal basin behind the mill is also recorded on the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record, Ref MGM 14973 and is thought to have been built to serve the Hall Lane Colliery, established pre 1829. The wharf was later associated with the Mill. Although the canal bank is overgrown the outline of the basin is extant and the opportunity should be investigated in conjunction with the Council and British Waterways to restore this historic feature and facility as part of any future redevelopment scheme for the Mill. Adjoining the southern boundary of Unity Mill site, south west of the mill building, is the site of the Coal Pit Fields. Now an overgrown wooded area this site is also included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments record (Ref MGM 14974). The site is shown on the 1871 OS Map and is another feature of the area’s historic growth and development associated with the coal mining, textile industry and the canal which could provide a source for recreation and an opportunity for heritage interpretation. 1 Source : ‘Stockport : A History’ (Peter Arrowsmith 1997) 4.3 Ground Conditions 4 The site was initially used for cotton spinning and weaving and evident on the 1871 OS sheet is a gasometer and crane, located west of the building and facing the canal. Later, as evident on the 1910 OS sheet, the mill was used for the manufacture of rubber. The gasometer and crane have been demolished and since the 1950s the mill site had been used for the manufacture of products for the food and brewing sectors until production ceased. The council is not aware of any abnormal ground conditions but a site with long and varied industrial uses may have resulted in some contamination legacy. Textile mill processes may give rise to contamination from the use of chemicals in the past during the textile manufacture processes. It is therefore the developer’s responsibility to conduct detailed ground surveys to ensure suitability and stability of the site for any development. 4.4 Access and Parking The site is situated in a semi-rural location at the edge of the settlement of Woodley, approximately 550m from Woodley Railway Station, 500m from the nearest bus stop and 1.25km from Woodley Local Shopping Centre. Access from the strategic road network (A560, Hyde Road) is via Poleacre Lane and an unnamed and unadopted road. Poleacre Lane, which also serves a small residential area is sub-standard in nature, notably along its western section which operates as a one-way road (eastbound). The unnamed road is also sub- standard in nature, being single-track for the majority of its length and passing over a narrow railway bridge. When the site was occupied all vehicles including articulated lorries and tankers, accessing the site used Poleacre Lane and the unnamed road and it is understood that there is a history of problems associated with traffic generated from the site. A high-frequency bus route runs along the A560 Hyde Road and provides direct access to Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield, Hyde, Bredbury and Stockport Town Centre. Other less frequent bus services provide access to Romiley and Brinnington. Direct access by rail can be gained to Woodley from Manchester, Hyde, Romiley and Marple, although such services are not frequent. There are no dedicated cycle routes within the vicinity of the site. Having regard to the nature of the current highway network and transport facilities and local, regional and national guidance and policies, notably those contained in PPG13, Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and the UDP Review improvements to the site’s access arrangements and transport infrastructure / services in the area will be required. When the mill was operating, parking facilities for up to 60 cars were provided within two laid out car parking areas at the front (eastern elevation) of the mill. Additional space was also available to the rear of the mill. 4.5 Existing and Adjacent Buildings 5 Unity Mill is of historic significance and makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Peak Forest Canal Conservation Area. The mill complex is also included in the Council’s list of buildings of local historic, architectural or other special character interest. These factors will need to be taken into account in any consideration of an alternative use. The Council will require prospective developers to carry out an assessment and analysis of the significance and uniqueness of the mill buildings and curtilage features to inform the design process. This should be carried out prior to submitting an application for development, adaptation, refurbishment or repair works. Prospective developers should liaise and consult the Stockport Council Conservation Officer at an early stage prior to preparing detailed proposals and submission of an application for development. The English Heritage publication ‘Informed Conservation’ provides further guidance. 4.6 Peak Forest Canal Conservation Area The Mill and associated buildings lies within the Peak Forest Canal conservation area which was designated in 2000 and extended in 2008. The Peak Forest Canal was built originally to transport limestone from the quarries in the Dove Holes area of Derbyshire to Marple, Ashton and then onto Manchester via the Ashton canal.