(Note: the below was written 7 years ago, but there are new plans that can be commented on that were added in July 2021. Part of the proposed site was already destroyed by (I assume) the previous developers, who cut down a lot of trees and vegetation. Stiles and fences on and around the proposed site were also damaged around this time and have been neglected since.)

There are planning proposals to build 350 homes on rural land next to Apedale Country Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Forgetting the wildlife, yearly flooding at part of the site, poor road access and steepness at parts - the craziest thing (to me) about building on the greenfield site next to Apedale Road is that there are tens of brownfield sites in the borough. If you add Stoke-on-Trent to the mix, there are probably hundreds, and I'm guessing - many of a similar size, with infinitely better access for transport. There is one such large site 3 miles away in Burslem, where houses and buildings have recently been demolished.

I don't think this will make any difference to whether the plans go ahead or not, but as I live near the proposed site, I found some of my photos from it and took some of a few brownfield sites in Newcastle as a comparison. That was all I intended to do originally, but for some reason I started listing other issues, and decided to add a few pictures of the wildlife here...

Why Build on This?

This is "unrestored land" according to the propaganda promoting the housing development. To me it's just nature taking back over - a lovely area full of wildlife - common, rarer, and protected.

When There's This?

None of them on their own are as big as the proposed development site, which might be the argument, but below are just a few of the brownfield sites in Chesterton and Newcastle-under-Lyme. There are more, and there will be even more, with soon-to-be-vacated premises at the Lymedale Estate on the edge of Chesterton, where (I believe) there are plans to build even more, despite empty buildings on the site. Most of the brownfield sites have excellent road access, unlike the Apedale Road development.

Some local residents have mentioned how Chesterton feels like a dumping ground. It wasn't quite Copsa Mica, but dust from the opencast mines coated our homes until the late 90s, then new industry caused problems, including interference with TV reception, a new scrapyard and smelter (who knows what the pollution coming from this is like?) was approved and now the plan to site the new homes here. Some residents fear Chesterton will return to its past when the air was constantly polluted with toxins.

The development details cite an idyllic location next to a country park and amenities, yet they don't mention the noisy and expanding industrial estate next to it, with a brickworks, a smelter and scrap yard/recycling plant - which leads to heavy traffic through Apedale Road each day, and the poor road access. I'm not sure if they're building on green sites here, but if they are the same argument applies - if only things were so simple...why not utilise existing brownfield sites? A recent report said that green sites are more profitable to develop on than brown sites.

More photos of proposed development location

I might be making my own propaganda with the first photo here, but it's probably the most beautiful I've seen the area look, after light snow and heavy hoar frost in winter 2010. I've never seen it look like this before or since, even after the heavy snow in more recent years. The field and trees in the foreground cover part of the new housing proposals, and despite it's unsuitability I'm sure people would use that single-track dirt road to the left of the farmhouse for access to the new estate...