An MOT and car repair shop in Shaw is set to be demolished to make way for five houses, planning documents reveal.

A proposal submitted by Jonathan Penrose of Bellway Homes in January this year outlines tearing down the current Linney Lane Motors car repair shop and garage in Shaw to make way for a mix of three and four-bed homes.

Blueprints of the plans show demolishing the existing garage building and building five two-storey homes, three semi-detached and a pair of detached properties, plus landscaping, parking and all ancillary works. 

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The development would be comprised of four three-bed homes and one four-bed home, each with a driveway to park up to 10 cars, and some with a one-storey garage.

The current site is comprised of a single-storey workshop building and areas for car parking, which is still in use, though documents also show many of the areas have become "inaccessible" and "densely overgrown".

As an industrial site, it has old mill structures and warehouses that were used for storage and distribution, and storage drums and discarded tyres were noted along the southern site boundary.

The former Shaw Distribution Depot site was also situated to the rear, however, the site is currently being demolished for a separate residential redevelopment.

Bellway Homes, which began as a small family business in 1946, says it has a passion for building "exceptional quality homes" in "carefully selected locations, inspired by the needs of real families".

A design and access statement, prepared by APD on behalf of Bellway Homes, suggested the new homes would reflect the design of the wider development and would make "efficient use of the site" while "respecting local character" and reflecting the "existing urban setting of Shaw".

APD also said the site is surrounded by predominately residential development with some commercial buildings, such as the Yodel distribution centre, while the culverted River Beal runs in the eastern part.

In its proposal, APD said the development would use open space along either side of the river corridor and create an attractive green gateway to the homes.

All the streets in the development will be walking and cycling-friendly with a "sustainable movement being a focus" throughout.

It has hopes of improving existing pedestrian links and creating an "attractive neighbourhood" that is not "overly dominated by the car".

When assessing the proposal, planning officers found that while the demolition of the MOT garage would present a loss in employment, an 'employment market report and viability assessment' revealed that "the site is no longer suitable for continuing employment use".

Officers also found the proposed homes to match the street scene and amenity terms of the area.

Meanwhile, the report said there will be no adverse impact on the surrounding highways, given the previous use of the site as an industrial unit and car repair shop.

As a result, Oldham Council approved the plans on April 23. 

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