Planning board approves Manchester Country Club stream‑bank stabilization with monitoring and buffer markings

The Bedford Planning Board on Dec. 15 approved a conditional use permit allowing the Manchester Country Club to perform stream‑bank stabilization work along Chandler Brook at 180 South River Road.

Bill Tibo, the club’s general manager, told the board the creek has experienced significant erosion over the past five years and estimated the banks have lost about 8 feet in places. He said the club, working with Beaverbrook Engineering, will use coconut‑fiber (coir) erosion rolls and plantings — including elderberry, winterberry holly and red‑osier dogwood — to stabilize the bank while minimizing disturbance. "The goal is not to, really disrupt anything," Tibo said, adding the plan favors low‑growth, aggressive root systems recommended by the state and the local conservation committee.

Planning staff recommended approval after concluding the application was complete and that the project does not pose a regional impact. The approval was granted with precedent conditions that require the applicant to develop and install stream buffer markings in coordination with planning staff and to provide state‑required post‑construction reports and monitoring documentation to the planning department.

Chair Hal Newberry noted the conservation commission had raised questions about straightening the creek, a step the applicant and its wetland scientist advised against because it could create downstream hydrological issues. The board's motion, moved by Priscilla Malcolm and seconded by Logan Johnson, incorporated findings that the plans comply with the town’s stream‑protection ordinance and included the monitoring, photographic documentation and buffer‑marking requirements.

The board voted to approve the conditional use permit.