1,500-home Handforth Garden Village plans submitted

Engine of the North, the Cheshire East Council-owned development firm, has submitted a planning application for the new development east of the A34 Handforth Bypass, and south of the new A555 Manchester Airport link road.

The application is in two parts – with the first looking for outline approval to build 1,500 new homes, new employment buildings, a mixed-use village centre and new green infrastructure.

If CEC approves the first part of the scheme, Engine of the North must come back to the council with more detailed designs in a ‘reserved matters’ application.

Meanwhile, the second part is for full planning permission to prepare the site for the development – including highways and drainage works, green infrastructure and replacement A34 bridge works.

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The proposal was submitted to CEC on Wednesday, May 15, and no images or further details on the application are currently available to view on the council’s planning website.

CEC held public consultation on a masterplan for the garden village last August.

In that vision for the site, the council said 30 per cent of the homes will be affordable, while five per cent will be ‘self-build’ homes – while up to 12 hectares of employment land will including offices and light industry.

The new village centre could also include shops, health facilities, a pub, a takeaway, a restaurant, sports and leisure facilities, a village hall, a nursery, a care home, a hotel and a primary school, according to the masterplan.

It is expected the village will be built in three phases and across four zones – Village Heart, Dairy House to the north, Kissing Gate to the south west and Blossoms Lane to the south east.

In the proposals which went out to consultation, Ainsley Arnold, CEC’s then-cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: “The site represents a very exciting opportunity to create an exemplar new village in the borough.

“It will be a community where people can move through the village as their lives grow and evolve.

“All development will be of the highest quality of design and the garden village will create a pleasant and sustainable community, supported by the infrastructure it needs.”

The Government confirmed it would provide £21.7 million towards the garden village project in March.

CEC expects the strategic planning board to vote on the planning application on Wednesday, August 28.

To see the application, search for ‘19/0623M’ on CEC’s planning website.

Engine of the North has been approached for comment.