The four Tameside planning proposals approved today, including an Aldi and Costa

A new Aldi and drive-thru Costa will be built just off Hattersley town centre now plans have been given the green light.

The retail park would be accessed via Stockport Road with eight employment units and electric vehicle charging facilities to go alongside the foodstore and coffee shop. The applicant claimed this could create hundreds of new jobs and boost the economy of Hattersley as a whole – stopping the need to leave the area to get food and work. 

Three other applications were granted approval by the panel sitting in Guardsman Tony Downes House in Droylsden on April 17.

A significant development included outline permission for a new food hall and 21 apartments at the back of the current Poundstretcher site in Hyde town centre. Despite objectors in the room describing the application as ‘ill-thought out’, referencing the lack of parking and the scale of the development, it still got the nod of approval from the panel. 

Another outline application in Hyde was granted permission for the plan to create a 14-home apartment block in place of the McKenzie garages site off Kirkley Street. 

Outline planning applications are used to gain an understanding as to whether the nature of a development is acceptable, which can help ensure viability up front. Further applications including more detail about the design of the proposals would be required before building work could commence. 

The last item to be approved by the panel was the conversion of the Hollies building in Hollingworth that has been vacant for some time. It will be transformed into a temporary home for vulnerable people to use.

Here is more detail of each application discussed by the planning panel…

New Aldi and Costa Drive-thru for Hattersley: APPROVED

The new Aldi supermarket and Costa drive-thru have been approved by the panel.

The site, accessed by Stockport Road, will also contain eight employment units as well as electric vehicle charging stations.

The vision for this is to replace the old district centre of Hattersley which is currently being redeveloped into a more residential use, the meeting heard.

The panel was also told that 125 full and part-time local jobs as well as various other indirect jobs in construction would be created by this development.

Maple Grove Developments Limited and Onward Homes, say the 57,000 sq ft could be delivered within 18 months, with August being an estimated start date.

Each section of the site would have their own car parks totalling up to 179, with the majority of the parking spaces dedicated to the supermarket (120). The site is a short distance away from another supermarket in Tesco as well as a McDonald’s drive-thru, Premier Inn hotel and pub. 

Dan Brown, speaking on behalf of the applicants, said: “This is within a prominent place in the heart of the Hattersley community. The land redevelopment has been a long standing priority for the council.

“Having been vacant for 15 years, we approached the council with our plans in 2023. The employment units would provide new workspace for the local area.”

He went on to tell the council this would bring more jobs to the local area and mean that locals would not have to go further afield to places like Stalybridge in order to access low-cost food stores like Aldi. He reiterated the number of jobs created by the proposed scheme and the benefit to the local Hattersley economy. 

New apartment block to replace car garage: APPROVED

McKenzie’s Garage site in Hyde is another step closer to being demolished and replaced with a new apartment block.

Mr McKenzie applied for outline permission from Tameside Council to get rid of the 32 flat roof garages and build a three-storey apartment block containing 14 homes. The building would sit at the west of the Kirkley Street site with parking to the north and south.

Objectors present at the meeting in Droylsden made their feelings over loss of light, privacy and security known to the panel in a statement. 

Bruce Little, a Church View resident, explained that a wall in the site gives 45 houses in the area better security from potential criminality, and did not want to see it demolished. Mr Stephen McKenzie, the applicant, explained that he and his family still live in Kirkley House just next door to the site and intend to stay, so security of the area is a high priority for them.

He explained that the wall would not need to be demolished for the development to go ahead, trying to appease the objector in the room.

Further details of the apartment block design would need to be put before the panel before any building work could commence as this stage was purely for outline permission. 

Food hall and apartment complex for Hyde town centre: APPROVED

The new food hall underneath 21 proposed apartments is one step closer to becoming a reality for Hyde town centre.

Applicants Copperleaf Group Ltd submitted an outline application for the food hall on the old Woolworths site which would be 710 sqm in size with the first floor cut back to create a large mezzanine for diners across two storeys. The hall would support a variety of small, medium and large stalls arranged around a central seating area within the building off Market Place.

A commercial kitchen and toilet block would be provided on a mezzanine area, in addition to seating which overlooks the main entrance – just as it does in Mackie Mayor in Manchester city centre.

Above the food hall would sit the apartment complex, comprising 21 homes. The applicant hopes this will be the catalyst for greater social enterprise in the town centre, to draw those who might not otherwise come to Hyde. 

However, Mrs Hartley, representing objectors Mr Flynn and Mr Bateman, described the proposals as “ill thought out” and “overdevelopment”. She questioned why a 21-home plan could be submitted with no parking provision and where the construction vehicles would go when building work commences – given the close proximity to Market Place which is largely pedestrianised.

The representative also highlighted that this development, quoting council papers,  would enclose on a neighbouring residential property. Mark Whylie, managing director at Copperleaf Group Ltd, said there is a plan for the construction vehicles during the building phase.

This plan would be made clear at a later stage of the application process which would again have to go through the planning panel.

Mr Whylie added: “This will help boost footfall in the area and raise the profile of the town. The development does signify change and will attract further investment.

“A total of 35 full-time equivalent jobs within the food hall itself.” 

He went on to say that this would also create more jobs during the construction phase of development for the local economy.

New 12-home temporary supported living complex for Hollingworth: APPROVED

The village of Hollingworth Will become home to a new temporary supported living complex for vulnerable people, now plans have been approved.

The building, known as the Hollies, on Spring Street will be transformed into supported affordable housing offered on a temporary basis. The building will contain 12 one-bed units, with a dedicated staff area, communal lounges, landscaping and car parking.

The meeting heard how the Hollies building has been vacant ‘for a number of years’. 

Jigsaw Homes representative  Mr King how they run similar units across the region and assured that this would be secure. CCTV and constant staffing on the site were two big factors in keeping the unit secure, the panel were told.

Planning documents explained that this is specifically targeted at addressing a requirement for one-bedroom accommodation, and the development would form part of an approach to deliver a mixed affordable housing offer.