The 'ridiculous' housing proposal slammed by planning bosses - as residents left fuming

Designers of a housing project to support people out of homelessness have been criticised by a senior Trafford councillor for putting forward a ‘ridiculous’ planning application.

The plan, by the Mosscare St Vincent's housing group (MSV), to build 12 homes for social rent near Trafford FC’s ground in Urmston has sparked outrage among residents.

The town hall's planning and development management committee has deferred a decision on the application so MSV can rethink its plans.

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People living in the quiet backwater of Shawe View, overlooking a car park off Pennybridge Lane, voiced passionate opposition to the plan, which would see a brick wall built 7.5 metres from their south-facing front gardens.

Vice-chair of the planning and development management committee, councillor Laurence Walsh said: "If this application wasn't talking about homeless accommodation and we were building accommodation for people to buy to go on the open market, it would not last two seconds in this planning committee. We would throw it out. It's a fact of life.

"And I dare say it wouldn’t get to the planning committee because the officers would say 'you're not having this, this is ridiculous'.

The councillor added: "I went down the other day and it literally is building properties on a car park. Now, where do we stop?

"Are we going to build houses out on the town hall car park, because we’re desperate for housing accommodation?"

Addressing more than a dozen residents from Shawe View who attended the meeting, he said: "You will have friends and family who have nowhere to live and that’s why there’s pressure, particularly in Trafford, to build properties.