Cheshire East gives green light for Alderley Park care home 

It took the planning committee just shy of three hours to approve Symphony Park’s 139-apartment proposal.

Having unanimously rejected the developer’s plans for a 159-unit older persons scheme last year, Cheshire East Council’s planning committee approved a scaled-back iteration today [Wednesday].

Symphony Park, a brand from the team behind Vita Group, can now build its 139-apartment project on five acres at Heatherley Wood, land the company acquired from Bruntwood SciTech.

Trevor Moore, spokesperson for Symphony Park said: “Over the last 10 months, we’ve been working constructively with planning officials to come forward with a new proposal which addresses the unmet housing requirements of over 65s living in Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Wilmslow.

“We’re pleased this carefully considered proposal can be seen for the huge benefits that it brings to this brownfield site and the local community.”

The company’s original scheme was rejected due to concerns about the project’s Green Belt location, its scale, and a lack of affordable homes.

Since refusal, the developer has made several changes, most notably reducing the number of homes by 20%, trimming back the height of the scheme, and increasing the off-site affordable provision to 30% – equating to around £3m.

Like last time it went before committee, Cheshire East’s planning team recommended the project for approval.  This time, the committee fell in line.

Symphony Park’s proposals were designed by Calderpeel Architects and feature a series of residential blocks of up to six storeys in height. The blocks would have offered a mixture of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

Proposed amenities include exercise studios, a well-being centre, a nail bar, a hair salon, a pool, and therapeutic treatment rooms – as well as an on-site restaurant, bar, and coffee lounge.

A nursing team and on-site GP practice would also be present on the property.

Wilmslow-based Layer.studio had designed the landscaped gardens that would have adorned the property.

Gary Halman Land and Planning is the planner for the extra-care apartments. The project team also included highways consultant Vectos, planning needs assessor Carterwood, and noise and air quality expert BWB Consulting. Tyler Grange was the ecology, arboriculture, and landscape and visual impact consultant. TRP was the drainage expert.