27th September 2025
The normally tranquil Local Wildlife Site/protected amenity land at Padden Brook has become the latest point of local controversy — and not only for reasons of natural beauty or ecology. At the centre of the storm is Greg Hall Builders, whose recent works along Padden Brook have stirred fierce opposition from residents, environmental campaigners, but not the council.
The Destruction at Padden Brook
According to eyewitness accounts and local complaint logs, heavy machinery contracted to Greg Hall Builders has been used on the unstable land in ways that have caused significant destruction to banks, vegetation, and the natural watercourse. Trees have been toppled, embankments ripped away, and silt washed into the stream — in many cases apparently without mitigation or proper safeguards.
Several residents say that, on one occasion, a bulldozer being used for these works overturned near a public pavement, dangerously close to where passers-by, children, or dog-walkers might traverse.
The incident has provoked understandable alarm among locals concerned about contractor safety, public liability, and environmental damage.
Intimidation, Confrontation, and Local Backlash
But the dispute is not merely one of bricks, soil, and streams. Multiple residents report aggressive behaviour from Mr Hall when complaints or concerns are raised.
Stories include verbally challenging residents who pointed out environmental harm, machinery being driven aggressively when locals attempted to intervene, and refusal to halt operations even when safety or ecological risk was pointed out. One resident claims:
“I asked him to pause until the council had a look — he just cursed and revved a digger nearby, as though daring me to call the police.”
Such confrontations have left many in the neighbourhood unnerved — particularly elderly residents or those less familiar with their rights under planning and environmental regulations.
Looking Deeper: The Accounts, the Mercedes, and the Big Questions
Digging into public records, Greg Hall’s company — Greg Hall Builders Ltd — is registered at Companies House, with its most recent filed accounts covering the year ending 31 March 2024. GOV.UK While the filings exist, local observers describe them as paltry, opaque, or lacking in transparency.
Rumour around Romiley also speaks to the image of Greg Hall as a man of contrasts: Dumping rubbish, heavy machinery and environmental disruption on one hand, but a posh Mercedes with blacked out windows on the other. Neighbours say he is often seen at the site in a high-end vehicle.
To many locals, the juxtaposition is stark: a man with visible wealth contravening environmental norms and showing little accountability in his business practice.
What Next? Remedies, Risks, and Community Resistance
The situation now boils down to a few pressing questions:
- Legal & Planning Enforcement: Is the work along Padden Brook within permitted development rights or subject to environmental consent? If not, can the council, the Environment Agency, or other bodies intervene to halt or remediate the damage?
- Public Liability & Safety: The overturned bulldozer incident raises real concerns of public safety and possible negligence. Local authorities may need to assess whether machinery operations near public pavements meet safety standards.
- Transparency & Audit: Scrutiny of Greg Hall Builders’ accounts and operations is warranted. Does the scale of works match declared income and reserves? Are there undisclosed subcontractors or shell entities?
Serious concerns have been raised about potential financial irregularities and planning transparency at Stockport Council. Residents are calling for a full and independent investigation to ensure that all decisions, including those related to multi-million-pound projects, are open to public scrutiny. It is vital that councillors, council officers, and MPs uphold the highest standards of accountability so public trust can be restored. Is it planning corruption at Padden Brook?
In Conclusion
What was once a quiet corner of Romiley is now a flashpoint. The story of Greg Hall Builders and Padden Brook is not just about physical damage to a watercourse — it is about accountability, power, and the ability of local people to protect their environment and safety against overreach.
The Romiley community has every right to demand clarity, remediation, and respect. And Greg Hall, whether he is builder, developer, or bulldozer driver, must answer for the harms alleged.
The Council’s Monitoring Officer, Vicki Bates, the Arboriculture officer Peter Pollard, the Local LibDem MP Lisa Smart, Local Councillors Angela Clark, Mark Roberts and Rachel Bresnahan have failed to take any action for over 13 months.
