Golf club could be built on to address 'chronic' lack of homes

New homes should be built on a Stockport golf course to address the “chronic” need for housing, an inquiry has heard.

Stockport council rejected plans to build 278 homes on Gatley Golf Club in September, but developer Hollins Strategic Land appealed the decision which sparked a six-day inquiry at Stopford House in the town centre.

During the final hearing on December 3, Christopher Katkowski KC representing the developer said building on the land is “self-evidently a benefit of the greatest weight” because “the need for new homes is chronic.”

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He went on to argue that the council’s plan to address the lack of housing in the borough has been an “abject failure.”

Stockport does not currently have a local plan and was recently told by the government to double the number of homes it builds each year.

Representing the council, John Hunter said building on the golf club would have a “very significant adverse effect on the provision of open space and recreational facilities which has not been adequately mitigated or compensated for.”

The arguments were heard by the planning inspector who will go away and decide whether to allow the appeal.

Plans by Hollins Strategic Land to build on the golf course were recommended for approval by Stockport council’s own officers, but elected councillors went against their advice when rejecting the proposal in September.

Gately residents also rallied against the plans to build on the land, with a petition to ‘save Gatley golf course’ being signed by more than 1,600 people.

The developer hopes to build on the golf club which is now closed, with half of the proposed homes set to be designated as ‘affordable,’ and a £1.45m contribution being made towards local sports facilities.

More than 10 hectares of the site would also be made ‘public open space’ as part of the scheme.

Mr Katkowski told the inquiry that Stockport council “cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land” while the need for housing in the borough has risen “exponentially.”

The lack of housing supply has been used against the council in previous inquiries, when a plan to build homes on Mirrlees Fields in Hazel Grove was rejected by the council but overturned in January after an appeal.

In the case, the planning inspector said the number of homes planned by the council was a "significant" way off what was needed.