Himor puts down housing marker in Crewe

Developer-investor Himor has revealed proposals for a residential extension to the south of Crewe, which it wishes to be considered in Cheshire East's town plan but will not submit an application anytime soon.

Gresty Oaks is Himor's response to a Draft Town Strategy for Crewe prepared by Cheshire East Council that anticipates a need for 3,300 new dwellings to be accommodated in extensions to the town.

Himor would build 1,100 homes in a landscape setting that it said would combine with the committed Basford East and Basford West business park proposals to form "a new strategic southern gateway for Crewe".

Nigel McGurk, non-executive director of Himor, said: "Himor strives to deliver quality in everything it does and Gresty Oaks sets a benchmark for the quality of places that we want to create.

"We are also pleased to be making this investment in Crewe and to help towards realising the All Change For Crewe vision."

The £78m project was designed by e*SCAPE Urbanists around so-called garden city principles. Roger Lomas, managing director of e*SCAPE Urbanists, said: "We believe that the site is an appropriate one for development and that, by incorporating Garden City principles, we can create a fabulous place to live in a way that respects and minimises the impact on the area."

The proposals include a district centre and community facilities within a network of ponds, hedgerows, trees and woodlands. There would be improved crossing facilities to Shavington High School and lower speed limits on Rope Lane; lower speed limits on Crewe Road; new cycle route infrastructure linking Crewe Road to the town centre; improvements to the A500, A51, Newcastle Road and Catherine Street, South Street junction.

Samuel Stafford, head of planning at Himor, said: "We appreciate that local people are rightly proud of their area, but we also sense an appreciation that Crewe has to expand to ensure its future prosperity. We have worked to understand the character of the area and to make sure that the best of the area, and that of which people are most proud, is reflected in the proposals".

The Gresty Oaks proposals can be viewed online at www.grestyoaks.co.uk, but Stafford pointed out that the masterplan is being prepared solely to support representations on the Draft Crewe Town Strategy and the Cheshire East Local Development Framework.

"There are no immediate plans to submit a planning application for the Gresty Oaks proposals. We simply want to show people what development at Gresty Oaks might look like so that informed decisions can be taken about development at this part of Crewe."

Himor is a property company owned by Bill Ainscough, chairman and owner of Langtree and Wainhomes, and his son Will, a former Healey & Baker Investment Manager and founder of WR Estates.

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other regional Publications - select below