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Controversial shelter plan back on the table with council planning

Saturday, 30 August 2025 12:18

By George Lythgoe

Former Halfway House pub in Wardle

A controversial sheep shelter plan in Rochdale is set to go back before the planning committee.

In November 2024, Wardle residents were outraged when they spotted a new structure built in the field behind the former Halfway House pub. It had been constructed at the back of someone’s back garden, seven metres from the house. 

Town hall planning officers put a stop to construction and urged applicant Sajid Hussain to submit a part-retrospective application for the shelter.

Hundreds of objectors who live near the site, off Wardle Road, piled into Number One Riverside last year to make the planning committee aware of their concerns.

Objectors felt the plan was a ruse to bypass planning laws and create a new home on green belt land. They said the sheep shelter ‘met the requirements for a one-bed, one-bathroom property’.

Ray Walton, speaking on behalf of objectors at the meeting, said: “This is luxury for the sheep. This is bypassing laws to build a house on greenbelt land. A compromise would be to build the sheep shelter further away from the homes. It doesn’t need to be near the road because sheep don’t drive.”

Umar Hussain, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said the shelter being ‘too luxurious’ for the animals should not be a concern, adding it was intended as a hobby for his client.

After a fierce debate, the committee agreed the location on the field was unsuitable for sheep, given the close proximity to houses, and wanted to see the shelter moved to a different location. For legal and planning reasons this needed to be discussed and altered, so a decision could not be made on the night.

The planning committee agreed to defer the application decision so planning officers, Mr Hussain and residents could consult on the change of area.

Now a new proposal is back, looking to demolish the existing shelter and create a new shelter directly behind the former Halfway House pub.

The planning committee will convene on September 4 to make a final decision on the matter.

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