House at centre of huge row to go before Rochdale’s planning committee

Plans to convert the stables of Coronation Street icon Julie Goodyear’s old Heywood mansion into a luxury seven-bedroom home will be decided on next week.

Plans to convert the stables of Coronation Street icon Julie Goodyear’s old Heywood mansion into a luxury seven-bedroom home will be decided on next week.

The former home of the Cobbles star, who played landlady Bet Lynch for decades, was at the centre of a planning furore earlier this year. Unfounded rumours there were plans for the £1.5m mansion at Primrose Hill Farm to be turned into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) for immigrants led to protests outside the Rochdale Road East site.

No valid planning application had actually been submitted to Rochdale council at the time.

Building work started on the site even though no planning permission had been granted. The council issued a temporary stop notice (TSN) on February 20 after being alerted to construction work by councillors.

Months later, an application to convert the old stables and barn into an eight-bedroom ‘luxury’ house was submitted to Rochdale town hall by Dr Liaqat Malik. That plan was later scaled back to seven bedrooms, with one fewer on the ground floor. 

The proposal would see three en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor, alongside a kitchen, dining room, reception area, cinema room, and a family bathroom, according to council planning documents.

Four more en-suite bedrooms and a lounge on the first floor are also touted as well as space for seven cars. Planning papers say the east stables would be converted into a garage and the south stables be transformed into a bike storage room, pool area, rest room and a bathroom.

The plans will be go before Rochdale council’s planning committee next week (August 5) when a decision will be made. Ward councillor Paul O’Neill called in the application to the committee following concerns raised about the plans locally.

Objections raised relate to additional traffic, overdevelopment and the worry this is a ‘staged approach to secure an eventual HMO use by circumventing planning controls’, according to planning papers.

The previous confusion over the property was because the application came through building control, rather than through planning. Building control applications look at how the development is constructed, whereas planning permission outlines what is being built.

The site has been subjected to a number of changing applications in recent months. In October 2025, a building control application for a 15-bed HMO was submitted to the council.

That application was amended on November 10, 2025 to become a 15-bedroom bed and breakfast. Building control plans were amended again on February 11 to the creation of 10, two-bedroom apartments and stable conversion into a three-bedroom house.

The scheme was amended again on March 12 to convert the barn into a luxury residential house for one family, including an annex building. The latest change was much like the planning application that was submitted a month later and is now being considered by the council’s planning officers.

The planning application submitted by Dr Malik, read: “Our plan aims to address the shortage of luxury housing in the area, which will bring numerous benefits. By increasing the supply of high-end properties, we’ll attract affluent residents and businesses, boosting local economic growth and creating jobs.

“This, in turn, will enhance the area’s reputation, improve infrastructure, and increase tax revenue for local services.

“The development will also include amenities like parks, shops, and restaurants, benefiting existing residents and making the area more vibrant. A key part of this plan involves restoring the historic barn, currently in a state of despair.

“Urgent work is needed to stabilise the structure, preserve its heritage, and bring it back into use. This will not only save a local landmark but also add character to the development, creating a unique selling point for luxury residents.

“Ultimately, our plan will revitalise the area, making it a desirable destination for luxury living and commerce.”