Letter re Crimble Mill Development Proposal 

The following Letter was sent by NBHBA regarding the proposed development proposal for Crimble Mill. The location is one of the locations in the Places for Everyone Greater Manchester Master Plan. There was a public Inquiry on the 14th February which can be viewed on YouTube

Email sent on 24/2/23 to RMBC Planning Officer copied to all Councillors covering the development area and access routes

Following on from viewing the recent Public Inquiry on the Places for Everyone on You Tube (February 14th), we felt that it was important to re-emphasise our concerns regarding the PROWs affected. Please could you consider the following attachment in your future deliberations of any detail planning application for the site. Also if you could please respond to the questions raised at the end.of the document. 

"We wish to comment on the above Application 21/00092/FUL, as the only access to the proposed site is by PROW's.

Access will obviously be from the B6222 Bury Road. Crimble Lane at this start point is a RUPP ( RocF Rupp1), before the drive up to Crimble Restaurant the lane becomes a Bridleway (Hey Bp60).

Prows are safe off road routes for use by Pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. These Prow's have a high usage by all legal users, horses, cyclists and pedestrians. The need for these quiet off road tracks was emphasised during lockdown. These particular prows do have a very small number of cars using them, by right, by the residents of Crimble Farm and Crimble cottages. The number of these vehicles is approximately 12. If planning permission is given for 6 five bedroom houses it is highly likely that this will create an extra 24 vehicles on the lane plus delivery vehicles. This traffic will be in and out all day and night. This large increase in traffic is likely to be dangerous as the lane is extremely narrow. Along it's length you are unable to get 2 family sized cars past each other for approximately 80% of it's distance. Certainly you could not get a horse or cyclist past a car at the recommended passing distance of 2 metres. Horses are flight animals and if frightened are likely to bolt. We are concerned about the potential accident this could cause, maybe even resulting in injury or death. There is no sideways escape routes for pedestrians, cyclists or horses along the full stretch of RocF Rupp1 and the stretch of Hey Bp60 before the driveway, due to it being lined on both sides by stone walls. 

The fields and wood on the sides of the lane are full of wildlife and any increase in traffic is likely to disturb them. There are deer grazing in the field which often jump into and out of the lane from one side to the other, when the pedestrian, horse or cyclist goes by, the deer ignore them which gives people the opportunity to see this wildlife.

We have extremely serious concerns about the safety of the public during the construction. Any construction vehicles will completely block the lane especially to horses. There will need to be banksmen during every hour that the wagons are delivering. Horses cannot be stopped at the entrance to Crimble Lane from the B6222, as if a wagon is coming out of the lane towards Bury Road the horse may be sufficiently frightened to run back onto the main, very busy 40mph road, potentially causing a serious accident, so horses entering from the B6222 must be given priority over vehicles leaving the development site.

The size of the planned development is out of proportion to the current population of the area.

Kind regards

The Committee of NBHBA

On behalf of all Members of NBHBA"