Handforth Garden Village set for approval
Around 1,500 homes could be built off the A34 with Cheshire East’s strategic planning board asked to approve a detailed masterplan for the Handforth Garden Village project at a meeting next week.
A six-week consultation was held in September and October on the draft strategic planning document document for the village, one of 14 announced in January 2017 as new Garden Villages across the UK.
Thirty six responses were received for the proposals, which will see the village created on the opposite side of the A34 bypass to the Handforth Dean retail park.
The site is a gateway for Cheshire East, bordering Stockport’s administrative boundaries to the north and east. Along with housing, the proposals include slightly less than 30 acres of B1/B2 employment land.
Cheshire East’s development company Engine of the North is to act as lead developer for a project that in design terms, is planned to be centred around a traditional village high street, anchored at one end by a village green and amphitheatre.
The village is to include a primary school and sports facilities including a grass pitch and 3G surfaces, village hall and space for self-build homes. There will be 116 acres of open space. With linkages to Handforth itself a priority, the plans also call for the replacement of the existing A34 footbridge with a more accessible design that could act as a gateway feature.
If the council board approves, Engine of the North will look to secure a hybrid consent to take the site forward, looking to establish an outline consent for the whole site and securing detailed approval for initial preparation and infrastructure works, including ground remediation and reprofiling, access works to the A34, the removal and replacement of the existing footbridge over the A34; and partial provision of green infrastructure, all of which will be driven by Engine of the North.
All of these works are to be completed before any housing is built. The local authority will also be responsible for the education, sports and medical parts of the project.
Cheshire East said it is “exploring all sources of funding to enable the delivery of these works at the earliest possible stage following the grant of planning approval”.
A determination by June 2019 is desired by the council, which sees the site as essential to its five-year housing supply, and has driven the project forward more aggressively than most of the Garden Village’s counterparts.
Cheshire East set to approve Cheshire East scheme. Genius.
By Stanley Green
This is a ridiculous plan. The area around the A34 is already rammed to capacity with cars. Just what do the Planners will think will happen now. Cheadle Hulme is gridlocked between 7.30am and 9am and again from 2.30 until 7pm. Think again!!!
By A CYNICAL
A cynical another budding highway engineer
By MD
Irregular English verbs: I drive, you drive, he/she/it causes gridlock…
By Dennis Nails
Dennis Nails, ignorant grammar policeman, get a life!
By A Nails
One last comment, for those persons who have made comments, it is a serious concern of mine. I live in the area, do you?
By A Cynical
I wholeheartedly agree with A Cynical’s comments. It sounds like Dennis Nails is a frustrated English teacher and obviously doesn’t live in the subject area.
By CBA
PNW commenters need to remember: you’re not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic. If you don’t like traffic jams, get a bike. Take the train. Move closer to work. It’s not a difficult leap of logic
By Anonymous
I think its disingenuous to moan about traffic in around this area when the A34 and A555 have experienced an unprecedented amount of traffic/road works to extend the A555 to the airport and High Lane over the last couple of years. Wouldn’t it be better to judge how traffic will cope as and when all the works associated with extending the A555 (to Bredbury?) and the works to the Stanley Green Roundabout have been (fully) completed and some time has past?
By Aevis
Has to be STOPPED.
By steve
The country is overpopulated, there are so many kids there is no room in our schools, one teacher per 40 pupils. Stop building houses.
By Fergus
Anonymous, its not about traffic any more, in years to come our children wont understand progress for the sake of government housing quotas being hit, oh and they wont even miss this beautiful greenfield site on their doorstep. They will have to as you state get train, go on their bike even drive to take up these environments, maybe Lyme Park or further afield into the depths of Cheshire.
Our flora & fauna, once its gone its gone forever. Progress!!??
By CBA
The thing with people in Cheshire East moaning about homes being built on green field land is that, not long ago, their homes were also most likely green field land as well. It’s hypocritical. To all the people who live in Cheshire East who hate green field development: would you be ok if your house was demolished, you go live in an apartment in central Manchester, and we can return Cheshire East to the rolling hills it once was?
Didn’t think so…
By Anonymous
Less than 10% of the country, even including peoples gardens in urban.
Spare us all the “OHHH THINK OF THE CHILDREN” hyperbole. If you dont want your children in an urban environment dont live in a major town/city.
By anon2