Consultation to start on Cheshire East housing strategy

Cheshire East Council will begin a consultation on its housing strategy for the next five years on 27 November, with the draft consultation documents due to be signed off at a meeting on Thursday.

The draft documents will outline the council’s approach to housing between 2018 and 2023, and will replace its current housing strategy, which ran between 2011 and 2016.

Part of the plans include building 355 affordable homes in the borough per year; forming a joint venture with a private developer to help deliver new homes; implementing a ‘brownfield first’ policy across Cheshire East; and supporting development of a new garden village by 2019.

Cheshire East added it would support “well-managed and flexible” PRS developments in the borough, and said it would “work to increase the supply of good-quality private rented accommodation”.

Ainsley Arnold, Cheshire East cabinet member for housing and planning, said: “Since the publication of our previous housing strategy in 2011, there have been significant changes to the local and national political, policy and funding landscape.

“This new Strategy reflects these changes, and is underpinned by our local plan, supportive policies and strategies which will enable us to achieve our priorities for housing in the borough.”

The six-week consultation will run between 27 November and 8 January.

Cheshire East’s most recent planning committee on 26 October gave the green light to 900 homes across three developments, including a 500-home project by the Worth Partnership off Giantswood Lane in Congleton.

Planners also gave the go-ahead to a 150-home scheme on a greenfield site south of Poynton, and an application from Himor to build 250 houses on agricultural land in Handforth.