New Orford Farm sex dungeon retirement flat plans set for approval

Previous plans were submitted to Warrington Borough Council in March to build a three-storey apartment block comprising of 50 apartments for residents aged 55 and above.

But these were thrown out by the council’s development management committee in September – despite planning officers recommending the scheme be approved.

Following a meeting with residents, amended plans by applicant Alderley Group for 45 flats will go back before the committee on Thursday, and again these are recommended to be rubber stamped.

The site in question is land on School Road in Orford, at the junction with Povey Road, which was previously home to Orford Farm.

Buildings on the land were demolished after a fire ripped through the site in March 2012, causing more than £500,000 worth of damage.

The site has something of a chequered past, formerly housing a sex fetish club which boasted specialist rooms including a dungeon, a pigsty, a head teacher’s study, a medical room and a school room.

Two teenagers were later locked up for three-and-a-half years for arson in relation to the incident which was tackled by 33 firefighters.

Plans were approved for the construction of 33 retirement apartments on the site in November 2014, with that permission since expiring.

Further proposals were given the green light in January 2015 for the demolition of buildings on the site, with this work having been carried out since.

The site originally consisted of a former farmhouse which was left derelict for several decades. The farm buildings were designated as Grade II-listed in 1975 before being fire-damaged.

How the proposed apartment block would look if plans were approved. Picture: BTP Architects/Alderley Group

Documents submitted as part of this latest application state that the transformation of the site would be of benefit to neighbouring properties to deter anti-social behaviour.

They say: “The site has the potential to exacerbate crime as the area is poorly lit and overgrown. There is evidence of fly-tipping on the site, and therefore other criminal activity may be occurring.

Committee members previously rejected the plans over concerns regarding the size of the three-storey building.

It comes after a number of residents raised objections to the scheme, with one stating that the block would be an invasion of current residents’ privacy, giving views into existing gardens and homes.

Planning officers recommend that the application be approved subject to at least 30 per cent of flats being ‘affordable’ and a section 106 monetary contribution for off-site ecological mitigation, public open space and sport improvements.

A pre-meeting report states: “The principle of residential development is acceptable in this location and has previously been accepted on the site under the provisions of the existing Local Plan.

“The site comprises previously developed land and is in a sustainable location, accessible by public transport routes and within reasonable walking distance of local services.

“The scale and form of the proposed building is now considered acceptable given its position and relationship with the of the surrounding buildings.

“The appearance and materiality of the proposed building will make a positive contribution to the wider townscape character.

“The proposal will not be detrimental to highway safety and provides sufficient off road car parking provision subject to occupation controls.”

Four letters have been submitted in objection to these latest plans, while another four have been written in support.