New homes plan at former factory site
PLANS have been unveiled to redevelop part of what was once a major employment site in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
An application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for the redevelopment of Froghall Wharf with 49 homes – including a new access, landscaping and associated works, and restoration of a listed farmhouse and re-use as a home.
The site formed part of the former Thomas Bolton and Sons copper factory, which employed hundreds of workers in its heyday.
The copper works, which began trading more than 200 years ago and produced the first transatlantic telephone cable, collapsed into administration in 2014, with many of the buildings now demolished.
PLANS have been released to redevelop part of what was once a key employment site in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
An application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for the redevelopment of Froghall Wharf with 49 homes – including a new access, landscaping and associated works, and restoration of a listed farmhouse and re-use as a home.
The site formed part of the former Thomas Bolton and Sons copper factory, which employed hundreds of workers in its heyday.
Froghall attracts thousands of visitors and walkers to the Churnet Valley Railway and the canal basin and historical sites located in the area during the year.
The proposed development sits between Foxt Road and the B5053 Ipstones road, and borders the A52 Kingsley to Whiston highways, with the larger industrial site on the opposite side of the B5053. The area borders the parishes of Kingsley and Ipstones.
The copper works, which began trading more than 200 years ago and produced the first transatlantic telephone cable, collapsed into administration in 2014, with many of the buildings now demolished.
Chairman of Kingsley Parish Council, Ken Unwin, said: “Kingsley Parish Council has been notified of the application for the proposed Froghall site. This is a complex planning application with lots of documentation.
“We will be studying the proposals at our next meeting and then issuing our recommendations to planners at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.”
A design and access statement produced by Tarpey Woodfine Architects, on behalf of applicant George Meade of Hadleigh Industrial Estates Ltd, said: “The site is currently vacant and there are a small number of redundant, derelict buildings, along with a significant amount of hard surface.
“The proposal seeks consent to sympathetically restore a group of listed farm buildings into a high quality residential dwelling house and redevelop the site with 48 new dwellings.
“Revenue from the new dwellings would be used to fund the restoration of the listed buildings, remediate contaminated ground, deal with on-site flooding issues, and provide a high-quality landscaped setting for the development.
“The site is situated within a key location between Froghall village with the Railway Inn pub and Churnet Valley steam railway attraction to the south, and Froghall Wharf with the canal marina, historic lime kilns, Foxtwood Cottages B&B accommodation and Hetty’s Tea shop and public car park to the north.
“A phase one contaminated land survey and coal mining risk assessment has been completed.
“The report identifies that due to the site’s former industrial use, it is likely that contaminants will have entered the ground and there is a high potential risk of contaminated land.
“The eastern margin of the site is indicated as a landslip area on the BGS maps. Such areas can be very unstable and very difficult and expensive to develop. The Coal Mining Report revealed that part of the site is within a high-risk coal mining area.
“Following the survey and specialist advice, the design has been developed to include a 600mm layer of fill to remediate the expected level of contamination. Due the anticipated poor existing ground conditions, raft and pile foundation designs have been allowed for.
“According to the environment agency’s website, part of the site is situated in flood zone level 3. A flood risk assessment has been prepared and advanced modelling conducted.
“The listed farm building will also retain its generous curtilage and separate pedestrian and vehicular access.
“The former front garden and fruit tree orchard is proposed to be reintroduced as part of the site’s development.
“New housing has been sensitively positioned and oriented in combination with a responsive landscaping scheme to ensure views to and from the listed buildings will be retained and not compromised.
“The former railway embankment is proposed to be retained and incorporated into the curtilage of one of the proposed residences.
“New proposed pedestrian links to the marina will enable future occupants and visitors to view and appreciate the rich and varied heritage of the site.
“It is hoped that finding a vibrant and viable use for the site will create a positive impact on the local area and perception of the Churnet Valley.”