Plans to build a 'cotton mill'-style block of flats on the site of a former Ashton-under-Lyne Conservative club have been lodged.

A developer has applied to Tameside council to construct 24 apartments on land at Vernon Street in Hurst Knoll.

The application form submitted by Watson Homes Ltd states that all would be one bedroom properties, and for either social, affordable or intermediate rent.

A bowling club had been built on the site in the early 20th century but this has since been demolished.

Previous plans by a different developer for 24 two-bedroom apartments for private rent on the site were approved by the council’s planning committee in 2018, but this permission has now expired.

Consequently the land was back on the property market last month, being advertised for £450,000.

A design and access report on behalf of Watson Homes Ltd states that the land is in a ‘highly sustainable’ location.

It adds that the proposed building has been designed to ‘reflect a cotton mill typology that would have been prevalent in the wider area during the 19th and 20th centuries’.

The report states: “Fenestration style is designed to reflect those used successfully in the conversion of mill buildings elsewhere in Ashton.

“The development is given a contemporary twist thanks to the crisp detailing of the openings, including windows set deep within the elevation, and black timber effect composite cladding to highlight the main entrance.”

Under the plans there would be space for 19 parking spaces for cars on the site.

And the report states that the flats would be heated through ‘low carbon technologies’ including air source heat pumps located within the apartments.

There have been no objections or letters of support for the application.

Consultation will run until November 11, with a decision expected after January.

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