Warehouse plan earns approval

PLANS for a £23 million warehouse development in Shaw have received backing from the parish council.

Shaw and Crompton Parish Council planning committee unanimously recommended the application from home-shopping retailer JD Williams to redevelop its Lilac Mill site at Beal Lane.

The firm says the development will secure 1,000 jobs and create 120 new ones.

The parish council and residents opposed plans for the site last year but they have since been altered massively.

Designs for a 175ft (53-metres) high warehouse — only eight metres lower than Oldham Civic Centre — were scrapped after sparking an outcry that it would tower over Shaw. It was lowered to 127ft (39-metres) but was again opposed.

The new application has been scaled down by another 40 per cent, with the new building measuring 78ft in height.

The company held a series of community consultations before submitting the revamped plans with feedback showing 88 per cent of respondents considered them an improvement.

But at the parish planning meeting, more than 20 people attended with most objecting to the latest plans, saying they still did not want such a large building in the area and they fear it will cause noise and traffic congestion and wouldn’t create jobs.

But councillors felt that the company had done what a planning inspector requested and that there were no grounds to recommend refusal.

The parish council’s decision had been adjourned from last month to give councillors time to study the large application fully. Oldham Council’s planning committee will now rule on the plans in December.

JD Williams General Manger Ian Carr said he was delighted with the decision. He added: “We have worked extremely hard to produce a scheme that will safeguard the future of our operation in Shaw, as well as ensuring the visual impact of the new building on the local area is kept to a minimum.

“The public consultation we undertook during the summer demonstrated support for the revised plans and we hope Oldham Council echoes this support by approving the plans when it determines the application next month.”