Engine of the North falls quiet

Darran Lawless is set to leave Cheshire East’s development vehicle Engine of the North after two years in charge, it is understood.

When asked at a press conference on Thursday whether Lawless was still running Engine of the North, council leader Cllr Michael Jones responded: “What day of the week is it?”

Jones said the Engine of the North was still operating but refused to answer further questions on the subject.

Lawless was not available when contacted this morning and there was no answer at the Engine of the North office in Sandbach.

The Team page of the Engine of the North website today showed an almost blank page with the words “currently being updated” on it.

Engine of the North was created in 2013 to sell more than 50 surplus council sites, valued at £400m, mainly for residential development. So far three deals have completed, Jones said yesterday. One of the deals saw land in Wilmslow sold for a price of £2m an acre.

Lawless joined the council from Muse, where he was development director