5th October 2025
Environmental documents have resurfaced highlighting long-standing contamination concerns linked to former Jackson’s Brickyard sites in Stockport — including the land that later became home to Vale View Primary School on Harcourt Street.
A 2006 report by the Greater Manchester Geological Unit identified multiple contamination hotspots at the Harcourt Street site, including lead, arsenic, nickel, and asbestos within the soil. The report outlined several remedial options, from soil removal to landscaping and the planting of shrubs to reduce direct contact with polluted ground.
A related environmental health assessment referring to another nearby former Jackson’s Brickyard site — a sister location with similar historical uses — warned that such filled land could vent carcinogenic gases for “over twenty years.” It noted that disturbing buried asbestos could release fibres hazardous even in minute quantities, and emphasised that exposure to landfill gases might raise long-term cancer risks if not properly monitored.
The Environmental Health Officer at the time urged that any risk assessment for future development should withstand the “highest level of scrutiny” and provide “measured protection” for residents. The memo concluded that, without robust information, serious concern would exist about placing people on such ground.
The Harcourt Street playing field was subsequently developed for Vale View Primary School after remediation work. Stockport Council has stated that all works were completed in accordance with national safety and environmental standards. In 2010, the Manchester Evening News reported that the cost of making the land safe added significantly to the overall project.
A local resident who questioned the adequacy of the clean-up process says they were later described as “vexatious” by the council after continuing to raise the issue. They reject that label, insisting their concerns were supported by the very environmental documents prepared before the school’s construction.
Environmental specialists say the case underscores the challenges of developing on former industrial or filled land and the importance of transparent risk communication with the public. Former brickyard sites across Greater Manchester are known to contain complex mixtures of fill material, often requiring long-term management.
Stockport Council’s Monitoring Officer, Vicki Bates, maintains her blockade on information about this site claiming any questions are vexatious.
