At last the planning application for developing Marple Wharf has arrived. The developer, H20 Urban, has submitted an application on behalf of the Canal & River Trust (CRT), the charity which took over from British Waterways to maintain, preserve and promote the nations canal network and its heritage.
We recognise that CRT need to raise funds but not by destroying the heritage it is charged with preserving. The final scheme fails in so many ways - quite simply, the development is just too much for the site resulting in problems of over development :
- Inadequate parking - the parking arrangements are quite ridiculous
house no. 1 must park at house no 3, house no 2 at house no. 4 and so on.
- Waste disposal - shared wheelie bins for all the houses - 50 yards from house no.1
- inadequate facilities and access for New Horizons trip boat for people with disabilities - the charity dear to Marple's heart
- inadequate services for pleasure boats - several boats queueing up to use the service area must share a mooring with New Horizons trip boat for people with disabilities - a recipe for frustration and friction
- a complete disregard for the unique heritage - of importance locally and nationally
View the planning application HERE
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| Planning Application for Marple Wharf * 7 houses - no. 7 is 4 bedrooms *conversion of the warehouse, no.8, into a 4 bedroom house *shared mooring next to the warehouse for New Horizons & boats using the boating services *rubbish skips, wheelie bins, New Horizons store & boating service block next to the warehouse *loss of 3 parking spaces due to realignment of Church Street and the service road |
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| A new look for Marple Wharf Warehouse?? |
Marple Civic Society set up a working-party group this year with the Local History Society, including 3 councillors, to continue working with CRT/H20urban and Stockport Council to find a community use for the warehouse. But negotiations were necessarily paused once H20 Urban announced that contracts were signed and an application for residential use due for submission.
Our problem is that H20 Urban's valuation of the warehouse is based on a commercial residential-use for the building in its present state. The value of the building will plummet if planning permission for residential use is refused.
We have a well worked up viable business plan for community use in the warehouse and have agreed to present this to CRT once the planning application has been decided. The purchase price can only be settled once the planning application has been decided.
We know people feel passionately about this important heritage site because we received 100 emails and letters from the public when British Waterways (now CRT) announced their plans for development in 2009. No doubt the council and BW received many more.
If you feel passionately about our heritage at Marple Wharf now is the time, the last time,
to do something about it
Respond to the planning application before 28th September 2017
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