Dozens of ‘affordable’ retirement apartments to be built on vacant school site

A new retirement development boasting 72 affordable apartments is to be built on the site of a former independent school. Planners have given the go-ahead for specialist over-55s accommodation at the vacant Focus School site in Heaton Mersey, Stockport.

The four-storey block will house a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, while the development also includes 10 ‘high quality’ semis for general market sale. Featuring a roof garden with long range views, it will replace the ‘run down’ old school buildings and also occupy the disused playing field.The Anwyl Developments scheme was broadly welcomed when it went before a meeting of the council’s planning committee. Coun John Taylor, who represents Heatons North, spoke in favour of the plans for the Didsbury Road site.READ MORE: Historic property in hospital grounds to be demolished for housing as it's 'falling down anyway'

“We became very aware this site has been empty for four years,” he said, referring to a recent site visit by councillors.“It’s very dilapidated, the actual buildings that are on it, and it’s crying out for redevelopment.”

However, he did raise some concerns about the overlooking of properties further down Didsbury Road and ensuring protected species were not disrupted.Coun Roy Driver agreed the scheme was ‘very, very welcome’, given it was a ‘difficult site’ which had been left vacant for a number of years. But he did have some reservations over how traffic would safely enter and exit the new development.

“The access in and out of the site will be on to quite a busy road, Didsbury Road, which is near to the traffic light junction,” he said. “So I think some careful attention needs to be given to how that’s designed so that people can safely turn either