Homes, and one particular home in Mossley. This house sits beneath Carrhill Road and is on Milton Street.
Milton Brae, Milton Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL5
Originally the land the house sits on was waste land, sitting beneath our former home. Pleasant wasteland. The land was bought by a Stephen Pritchard with a view to building two houses.
Myself and neighbours fought hard against this, being of the view that such a development was unnecessary and out of place for Milton Street.
There was constant contact with the Planning Department of Tameside MBC. The key figure being Steve Kirkham.
What happened?
Stephen Pritchard turned out to be quite an awful individual to deal with. The Planning team indifferent and showed no consideration I believe toward residents and neighbours. The build went ahead and took a good three years without completion; which you can see. As we all watched the building phase clearly had snags, especially regarding the roof.
Tameside MBC and Planning
I think the following news article sums up the Council’s planning team.
Points to bear in mind
The building of the house I suspect was and is well over budget, hence the lack of completion.
Complete disregard was taken toward neighbours sentiments and Planning requirements, with infractions that the Planning Team and Steve Kirkham allowed for and retrospectively approved, for example Velux windows (uninhabited house) not on original plans that affected the view for 31 Carrhill Road.
It was an awful situation. Stephen Pritchard and his father, Peter, terrible to deal with, inconsiderate to residents. For example, working outside of specified hours.
But as was seen, there is such a thing as Karma, and you reap what you sow, or in this case pride before the fall.
Caveat Emptor
To any would be buyer I would raise the following.
When permission was granted for the build (note an Appeal Panel was also involved) there were requirements stipulated by Tameside MBC Planning, and agreed to. For example, to make good the road and to create a turning circle.
The Planning requirements have not been honoured. And any buyer taking on this property ought to be aware. The Planning details can be found on Tameside MBC’s website.
The house is priced at £1.1M when I suspect you can get more bang for your buck in the local area, with Milton Brae’s design unique. There is no garden, the second house not completed or lived in, and the site still like a building site. Milton Brae has three rooms and a small kitchen. The views lead directly into Milton St John's CE Primary School and to the rear the houses of Carrhill Road overlook, as does the disused garage and its wasteland adjacent with no owner (see Land Registry.)
As we all felt on Carrhill Road, the development should not have been allowed or two in taste bungalows allowed. But Planning allowed what is now the end result. And in practical terms the end result is somewhat lacking.
Out of many noteworthy things there is a natural flow of water running from the hill upon which the house is built and exiting to the extreme right of the property when looking at it face on. It has always been there, and following gravity the water would run down Milton Street into the drainage system and ultimately River Tame. This water naturally flows from the hill rising from Quick Edge above Mossley. The house foundations were laid over this natural water flow with no culvert created and it will be interesting to see what happens. When the water flows off the hills above Mossley, it flows.
I have not looked but there are some rather interesting comments from locals on Facebook as to house, and the sales literature, on for example Right Move.
I quote from Right Move:
Stunning Designer Property in Mossley
Nestled in a quiet residential road in Mossley, this stunning designer property offers a blend of modern luxury and practical living. The area boasts excellent transport links, reputable local schools, and access to some fantastic natural walks.Stunning. Yes you could say this. Stunningly awful? Nestled. Yes, certainly tucked away in Milton Street with views of trees and a school playing field and school itself. Stunning. Yes, already mentioned in the title and let’s make sure we don’t forget the word “stunning”. As in stunning house, folly, gaff, residence etc. Blend of modern luxury and practical living. Yes, you can live in the house. Certainly don’t want the Flintstones. Practical living. Comes with front door, windows etc.? Reputable schools. Let’s hope so. What’s an un-reputable school? And natural walks. What else would they be? Martian like for example?
Stephen Pritchard
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desart.[d] Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
No thing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
— Percy Shelley, "Ozymandias", 1819 edition[18]