Plans have been submitted to demolish a disused public toilet block, despite previous attempts being refused.

In a planning application submitted on June 15, it is proposed a former toilet block on Hill End Road in Delph should be demolished to make way for a new detached private garage and workshop/study.

A planning statement, submitted by Chorlton Planning Ltd, claims the site concerns just a "small parcel of land" at the junction of High Street and Hill End Road.

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The documents further reveal the applicant had purchased the land from Oldham Council, though it recognises the site sits close to Delph village, the White Lion pub, Delph Chapel and its graveyard, as well as a "small area of public open space" which is owned and maintained by the council.

The plans involve demolishing a disused toilet block on the site and replacing it with a small building to be used privately by the applicant as a garage and study/workshop.

It is proposed the new building would be a "low profile" single-storey L-shaped block of "simple design" with stone and dark grey render and a blue slate roof with conservation-type roof lights and "small windows".

Cars would be able to access the building from Hill End Road, it is further proposed, with "turning facilities" provided in the site to allow vehicles to enter and leave in a forward gear.

The Oldham Times: Previous plans to demolish and re-build on the site were refusedPrevious plans to demolish and re-build on the site were refused (Image: Google Maps)

Meanwhile, the existing mature trees will be protected and retained from the development and a new landscaping scheme has been provided to "strengthen" the planting boundary between the public space and the applicant's site.

However, documents reveal a similar plan for a detached garage on the same site was refused by Oldham Council in January 2019 and the applicant's attempt to appeal the decision was dismissed in September that same year.

In a refusal notice, it was recognised that there are "relatively few trees in the core of the village" and the retention of trees "are important to the character of Delph".

There was one particularly large tree of concern as the inspector at the time feared that the garage would have "encroached" into the root system and therefore put it at risk.

He also noted that there were no tree surveys, arboriculture reports or a methodology statement to protect the root system of the trees and, therefore, felt that the plans would pose a "significant loss to the character and appearance of the area by the removal of the tree".

The council was also concerned about highway safety, citing that there was an "insufficient distance" to accommodate a parked car without overhanging the pavement and that the plans did not allow cars to turn on the site, meaning they could not enter or leave in forward gear.

Oldham Council also said the angle of the site presented "poor visibility for drivers".

The new application seemingly answers these concerns by providing car access and a tree protection plan, with the relevant documents and assessments.

The proposals further stipulate there will be additional landscaping, meaning "local indigenous species will be added", while there will be no ecological interference to wildlife or the river corridor, referring to the line of the River Tame.

Supporting the plans further, Chorlton Planning Ltd said the derelict building "attracts antisocial and unsavoury behaviour in the village centre" and would be replaced "by an attractive new building, build in the local vernacular style".

In turn, it argues the development would "discourage antisocial behaviour and visually improve the area".

"The applicant's wellbeing will be enhanced by the use of the garage and the study/workshop", they added.