Civic Society Response to Kirkland Developments Planning Application DC/051408 for a Food Store on Chadwick Street Car Park

The Civic Society has sent a letter of qualified support to Stockport MBC Planning Services regarding the planning application by Kirkland Developments for a foodstore on the Chadwick Street car park site.

Whilst supporting the development in principle the society has reservations about aspects of the proposed traffic management provisions. 

To view our response in full see here

If you wish to send a personal response the deadline is tomorrow, Thursday 3rd January 2013

Thanks to Peter Black of Blackfryers Consultants for advice in preparing the society's response

ASDA - Extraordinary Area Committee Meeting

An extraordinary meeting is being arranged for the ASDA planning application to go before Marple Area Committee.  The meeting will take place sometime between 16th January and 27th February 2013.  SMBC will notify respondees to the planning application by post.  We will post further details as they become available.

Government Support for Street Pride

Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State at the Department for Transport has replied to our letter of 16th November regarding Street Clutter.  His letter offers welcome support to our campaign to rid Marple of Street Clutter.  He will shortly be providing a guidance leaflet for councils setting out new guidance in which the starting point will be to ask traffic engineers to start from a position of having no signs and introduce them only where they serve a clear function.
We look forward to working with Stockport MBC in the light of the new guidance.

The full text of Patrick McLoughlin's letter can be seen here  


An audit by Marple Civic Society identified approaching 100 items of street clutter.

Civic Society Response to ASDA/CAMSFC Planning Application

The Civic Society has sent a letter of objection to Stockport MBC Planning Services objecting to the ASDA planning application for a supermarket and petrol filling station on the site of the CAMSFC Hibbert Lane campus.

Our objections are associated with specific planning matters although as a civic society we are concerned with protecting our Public Realm, Heritage Assets and Streetscape.

Our objections centre on the planning sequentiality test and impact that the proposed supermarket would have on the town.

To view our response in full please see here

Planning Application DC/050947 – 61a Cote Green Road, Marple

The society's honorary architect has made the following response to this planning application on behalf of the society:

This is an infill development which we believe may be in green belt.
Although the presumption in green belt is against development the society accepts this site could be an exception.
We do not believe that the property proposed though is appropriate to the site. The street drawing is very sketchy of the adjacent properties and the proposed seems to be out of scale from these buildings.
The design is interesting and modern in its concepts but it neither contrasts from of reflects the scale and detail of the traditional buildings adjacent to it.
Although the society on this occasion does not object to the principle of a house on this site we feel that this design is inappropriate. 

Planning Application DC/050673 – Higher Bank Cottage, Cobden Edge

The society's honorary architect has made the following response to this planning application on behalf of the society:

This property is sited on a single track road/bridleway at considerable distance from any major roads or public transport.
The site consists of old farm buildings that have been split to create dwellings.
This application is to add a major development on the site that will have considerable impact on the green belt countryside.
The application has three elements: The porch and plant room, the old stable block to become a café and the extension of the stable block to give stabling lost with the conversion of stabling to café with a further plant room.
Although this property is on a popular walking route we question the validity of a café at all, never mind one of significant size.
The highway is not suitable for customers to arrive by car and anyway no parking is shown.
The society feels that this is inappropriate development of the green belt and if allowed the café could fail and then what other use could it be put to that would comply with green belt policy?