A councillor has raised concerns about plans to redevelop the site of a Bosley mill where four people died in an explosion.

Boden and Davies Limited recently submitted an application to Cheshire East Council for the construction of up to 58 homes on land at Bosley Works off Tunstall Road.

The application also seeks permission to make improvements to the existing industrial development, which would involve the demolition and rebuilding of various buildings.

However, Chris O'Leary, councillor for the Sutton ward which covers the neighbouring parishes, submitted his formal objections to the plans on Wednesday, November 11.

With respect to the industrial redevelopment, councillor O'Leary said: "The site is unsuitable for largescale industrial use and it is doubtful whether an application for industrial development would be acceptable in planning terms if the site did not have historical background.

"This is because of its rural locality, within the Greater Manchester and Cheshire greenbelt, and because of the limited road accessibility to the site, particularly for emergency vehicles."

Councillor O'Leary explained that while the site has been in 'almost continuous' use since the mid 18th century, industrial activity has been limited since the deadly explosion in 2015.

"Despite the often very limited industrial production on the site over the last ten years, there have been a number of issues that raise significant concerns about the safety of the site," he added.

"In the past six months there have been two separate fires on the site, most recently in early November. While neither of these fires was as significant as the major, fatal, fire in 2015, they do raise serious concerns about the health and safety implications of additional industrial capacity and production at the site, which are material planning considerations for this application."

Councillor O'Leary continues, highlighting concerns around the storage of hazardous materials, which he says is likely to increase should the proposed development go ahead.

"Given the nature and location of the site, and the challenges of emergency vehicle access, this poses an unacceptable risk and is grounds for rejecting the application," he said.

"If the local planning authority is minded to approve the application, I would ask that planning conditions stipulates that specialist advice be sought from the Health and Safety Executive prior to any new storage of hazardous materials on the site, and that an appropriate plan for the safe storage of hazardous materials is submitted to the local planning authority for approval."

He added that such a project is likely to result in 'significantly' more commercial traffic on Tunstall Road, which he describes as a 'quiet back country lane'.

Furthermore, this road is popular with cyclists but suffers from limited visibility at various pinch points.

Councillor O'Leary said: "It is unlikely that any mitigation can be put in place to reduce these risks and negative impacts, and they are therefore sufficient planning grounds to reject the application.

"Were the local planning authority be minded to approval the proposal, I would ask planning conditions require a proper assessment of the traffic impact of the proposal, and developer-funded mitigations be provided."

With regards to the housing plans, councillor O'Leary explains that the existing residential properties on the site have not been occupied in since the incident in 2015.

As such, the proposed 58-home development would result in a population increase of around 132 people.

"This is a significant increase in population for the parish of Bosley, which has a mid-2024 estimated population of around 460 persons," councillor O'Leary stated.

"Such an increase would put considerable strain on local resources, particularly the local primary school in Bosley, which is already over-subscribed.

"This is sufficient grounds to reject the application, however, should the local planning authority be minded to approve the outline planning application, planning conditions should require contributions to Bosley School to accommodate the additional children generated by the development."

He adds that there would also be a 'considerable' impact on traffic on Tunstall Road.

Councillor O'Leary added: "The nature and layout of Tunstall Road is such that it is unlikely that the road could be widened or any mitigations put in place to reduce the impact of this additional traffic. This is sufficient grounds to reject the application.

"Finally, the proximity of these proposed new houses to the industrial site and particularly to the storage of hazardous materials poses a significant health and safety risk and is sufficient grounds to reject the application."

A planning statement submitted to Cheshire East Council by AshtonHale, a consultancy working on behalf of Boden and Davies Limited, says the scheme would deliver significant economic and social benefits.

It reads: "The proposals present an opportunity to bring forward a high-quality, well-considered redevelopment that responds sensitively to the site's industrial heritage, its setting adjacent to the River Dane and Macclesfield Canal, and nearby heritage assets including the grade-two listed Lymford Bridge and the Macclesfield Canal Conservation Area.

"It would retain and rationalise existing employment uses on site, provide additional flexible industrial floorspace, and generate temporary construction employment and expenditure, supporting the wider rural economy.

"Up to 58 new dwellings would make a direct contribution to meeting identified housing needs within Cheshire East, supported by new community uses, public realm, landscaping and improved pedestrian/cycle connections that would help create a more inclusive, integrated and attractive place for both residents and the wider community."