With 2017 having drawn to a close it is time to take a look back at the biggest news stories of the past twelve months in Alderley Edge and share some statistics with our readers.
During 2017 the alderleyedge.com website has been visited 541,292 times and generated 1,217,353 page views!
Over the course of the year I've managed to publish 853 articles which have received 1619 reader comments.
The year kicked off with a consultation from Cheshire East Council is currently on its Pre-Budget document, setting out proposals to save £94m and balance the books during the three year period from 2017 to 2020. In addition to proposals to cut costs, the report contains new infrastructure projects, including a proposal to spend £1.2m improving the Alderley Road and A34 junction.
Plans were also submitted for the first residential development of 74 homes at Alderley Park, the former AstraZeneca campus and controversial plans to create the North Cheshire Garden Village, with 1650 new homes, on the eastern edge of Handforth was given government backing.
Additionally, specialist developer PJ Livesey revealed plans to bring some listed buildings at Alderley Park back into use whilst demolishing others to develop a range of new build houses and a new waterside apartment building.
Some new parking bays we also introduced in 2017, the first of which were three spaces on George Street, which were previously for use by the doctors and disabled drivers. Later in the year five new bays were created on Stevens Street.
In an attempt to cut down on the volume of vehicles speeding through the village, Alderley Edge Parish Council has agreed to purchase an addition speed indicator device (SID) in February.
Also in February, the Government consulted on plans to close Wilmslow Jobcentre and transfer the service to Macclesfield Jobcentre, located 7.7 miles away - as part of the Department of Work and Pensions plans to reform the service in order to save around £180 million a year for the next 10 years.
In March, the results of consultation over proposals to make part of Chorley Hall Lane one-way and create 18 new 24-hour parking spaces were revealed - to enable the footpath over the bridge to be widened. Just under 100 residents replied to the survey, of which 82% agreed that the footpath across the bridge is dangerous and 61% agreed with a one-way system as a solution to the problem.
Due to high demand, an additional 26 places were made available at Wilmslow High School so there were 326 places available for September 2017 intake. Also, the groundworks got underway to accommodate the new £108,000 public toilet block at the Carrs, which opened in the summer.
In the same month Tatton MP George Osborne was announced as the new editor of the Evening Standard, taking up his role in early May, then in April he declared he was quitting as MP ahead of snap election - having been elected in June 2001.
Questionnaires were delivered to every household in Alderley Edge as part of the Neighbourhood Plan process. Local residents are being asked their views on what aspects of living in Alderley Edge are important, where new houses should be built in the village and what type of new housing is needed. The questionnaire also asks for views on car parking, transportation, local facilities and improvements to the village centre.
April also saw Cheshire East Council suspend their Chief Executive Mike Suarez. This was followed by the suspension of Bill Norman, Director of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer in July - while an investigation into allegations relating to their conduct is undertaken. Bill Norman tendered his resignation with immediate effect in December.
Also, Alderley Edge Hockey Club Ladies 1st XI became Cheshire Champions on Saturday afternoon, having recently been promoted into the Investec Premiership North, Chris Hopkins took over as our new PSCO for Alderley Edge and following a refurbishment, Alderley Edge Methodist Church re-opened their youth club in the cellar which members of the church dug out in the 1960s.
In May Alderley United U13's were confirmed as champions of the Timperley & District Junior Football League, having won the Cup competition the previous month, and GB hockey stars Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh brought a touch of gold to Alderley Edge Hockey Club where they spent time coaching Alderley Edge Hockey Club Juniors and students from Alderley Edge School for Girls.
Having been surrounded in scaffolding for many months whilst restoration work took place, the spire at St Philips and St James was restored to its former glory ready ahead of the installation of the new vicar Rev Robin Pye.
Additionally, the village hosted the 101st Alderley Edge Festival during which over 2300 talented young performers took to the stage and despite the weather the Alderley Edge May Fair was another big success with hundreds of local people and visitors braving the showers to enjoy a family fun packed day.
In the same month it was announced that the opening of the new £290 million A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road has been delayed due to heavy rainfall. The 10km dual carriageway which was due to open to traffic by autumn 2017, after two and a half years of construction works, is now programmed to be opened in spring 2018. Last time I checked in August, the Communications and Marketing officer at Stockport Council said "I can confirm that the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road is still scheduled to open in spring 2018."
Handforth Retail Park is set to get a lot bigger following the Strategic Planning Board's approval of three applications. Alderley Edge based developer Consolidated Property Group (CPG) was given permission for the second and third phases of their Handforth Dean Shopping Park which will involve approximately 25 retail units and create about 950 jobs. CPGs third application for an extension to the recently constructed Next store (which CPG sold the previous week for £15.8m), Phase 1 of the £160 million scheme, was also approved.
However, Cheshire Lakes' plans to create a watersports and outdoor activity centre at a former quarry in Chelford were considered by the Strategic Planning Board for the fourth time and refused because it was considered they would have a detrimental impact on biodiversity at the site and in particular on the birdlife.
At the end of May, two brave 14-year-olds - best friends Modelle Lee Hughes Jervis and Leah Kelly - who were attending the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena when the bomb went off returned to an arena just five days later to compete in and win a cheerleading competition.
In June, Esther McVey, the former Employment Minister, was elected as the new MP for Tatton with 58.6% of the vote in June's General Election and in September she opened her constituency office on Chapel Lane. At the end of the month, Alderley Edge Cricket Club hosted the popular Village Fete for the 8th year.
In July, M&S revealed plans for new food hall adjacent to the station in Alderley Edge, having been looking for a suitable site for a new food hall in the village for about 10 years but as yet no planning application has been submitted.
July also saw international cricket hero, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, along with other legends of international cricket were defeated by the home side in a charity match at Alderley Edge Cricket Club and Alderley Edge Methodist Church said goodbye to their longest-serving minister as Ben Clowes and his family as they moved to Harrogate. They welcomed his replacement Revd Sue Swires as their new Minister in September.
The new Alderley Edge Heritage Centre was also launched at St Philip & St James Church, providing a permanent space for Alderley History Group to store and display artefacts collected and donated by members over the years.
Having been granted planning permission in 2016 for a new office development at their Alderley Road campus, Royal London submitted an application detailing the scale, layout, appearance and landscaping proposals for the site in August of this year.
Plans for a new development of two offices and seven apartments at Tower Garage on Wilmslow Road were approved in September and Alderley Pilates celebrated the 15th anniversary of their studio with a series of special events including a visit from Lynne Robinson, co-founder and director of Body Control Pilates.
The 76th Alderley Edge Village Show, organised by the Alderley Edge Allotments and Gardens Society, proved another big success with just under 450 exhibits.
Whilst, Cllr David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council announced his decision to stand aside from his cabinet duties for the time being - the day after Cheshire Constabulary confirmed it is looking into concerns about the Council's allocation of public funds in making a £70,000 grant to Berkeley Academy in Wistaston for a car park. In October the Council Leader decided David Brown must also resign from his role as deputy leader with immediate effect.
In the same month Cheshire Constabulary confirmed they were launching a formal investigation into allegations that Cheshire East Council deliberately manipulated air quality data after an external investigation into the Council's air quality monitoring procedures earlier in the year found that serious errors were made as a "result of deliberate and systematic manipulation of data".
On Friday 29th September the body of Leanne McKie, a Wilmslow mother of three, was found in a lake at Poynton Park. Leanne, 39, served with Greater Manchester Police since 2001, working in the Serious Sexual Offences Unit. Her husband Darren McKie was subsequently charged with murder and a provisional trial date has been set for March 5th 2018.
In October The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) published proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries following a decision by Parliament to reduce the number of constituencies in the UK to 600 from 650.
The revised proposals will see Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Handforth and Styal in a new constituency with Bramhall, Woodford and Hazel Grove called Hazel Grove and Wilmslow constituency. Whilst Nether Alderley and Mottram St Andrew would be in the Macclesfield constituency which stretches to Plumley in the west, north to Poynton and Disley and south to Wincle and Eaton. Knutsford, Hale Barns, Mobberley, Pickmere, High Legh and Little Bollington would be in the new Altrincham and Knutsford constituency.
Despite having been granted planning permission in 2016 for a new office development at their Alderley Road campus, Royal London Group confirmed that it is moving out of Wilmslow in October, with the favoured location being the Parklands building at Alderley Park.
The following month Royal London submitted two planning applications for homes at its site on Alderley Road. The first application is for up to 60 homes on land opposite the Royal London Campus to the west of Alderley Road and the second is for 120 homes on the northern part of the campus site.
At the beginning of November we received the tragic news that an 85-year-old man and 82-year-old woman, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, had both died in a road traffic collision on the Alderley Edge bypass. This resulted in local councillors proposing a reduction of the speed limit on this stretch of road to 50mph.
Cuts to local bus services were confirmed in November, to achieve savings of just over £1m. Changes to local services include the 88 (Altrincham – Wilmslow – Knutsford) service reduced to an hourly service and extended to go to Macclesfield (once every two hours) and alternately to Northwich. Whilst the 200 (Wilmslow – Manchester Airport) service will be withdrawn with an hourly railway service from Styal Railway Station introduced in May 2018 and the Sunday service of the 130 (Macclesfield to Wilmslow to Manchester) will be withdrawn.
We also revealed new plans for the redevelopment of the County Hotel and the land at Harden Park which involve the demolition of the existing hotel building and redevelopment of the site to provide a residential block of 14 dwellings.
Alderley Edge In Bloom celebrated after picking up two awards in the village's second North West In Bloom entry in November - they were delighted to pick up a Silver Gilt award in the best small town category and Chorley Hall Lane Allotments were awarded 'Thriving' by the Royal Horticultural Society.
The Ryleys School celebrated 140 years by burying four time capsules within the school grounds, containing items that represent life at the school today, and we revealed that Cheshire East Council is considering closing Alderley Edge library in order to save around £50,000 a year.
With all the building work complete at the Festival Hall, the Parish Council confirmed that the total costs of the project exceeded the budget by hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Medical Centre project exceeded the budget by £370,000, (18%) and the final costs for the work at the Festival Hall were £825,098, compared with a projected cost of £540,000, a difference of £285,098 (53%).
Alderley Edge Parish Council also announced they are reviewing the CCTV arrangements in the village following the vandalism in November when planters and hanging baskets were damaged and their contents flung everywhere. The Parish Council pays £5500 per annum to cover the three surveillance cameras in the village centre but unfortunately they did not pick up clear images of the culprits.
Also in December, Cheshire East Council decided to suspend their Chief Operating Officer Peter Bates following concerns about his conduct.
2017 also saw a lot of changes to the businesses and shops in the village. Blue Lobster, located on the corner of London Road and Brown Street, in the premises previously occupied by Tomfoolery, opened at the beginning of April serving Italian seafood. However, its presence in Alderley Edge was short lived and it closed its door in December less than nine months after opening.
Online resort and beachwear brand OutDazl opened its first retail store in Alderley Edge in June, Laithwaite's Wine opened it's northern flagship store on South Street and a florist who has worked in the industry for the past 7 years opening her own shop Country Chic Floral Design on George Street. At the end of the year, luxury retailer Coggles opened its new flagship store in the former Nat West bank.
Closures in the village included village eatery and events venue The Yard which had been trading for four and a half years and Willow Boutiques which opened on London Road in July 2016, in the premises previously occupied by Atelier Bride.
In May Alderley Flowers closed its doors saying they were unable to compete with the supermarket and Bettie Blue gift shop closed just seven months after opening on George Street. Trafford Road Barbers closed in July after seven and a half years and The Railway Kitchen pulled out of Alderley Edge after nearly three years of trading in the village.
Most read articles of 2017
1. Brave Manchester attack victims face their fears to win arena competition
2. A34 bypass reopens following accident
3. M&S reveal plans for new food hall in Alderley Edge
4. Cricket club to host Flintoff's ashes legends charity game
5. Two people killed in Alderley Edge bypass crash
6. Four new housing developments could change the identity of the village forever
7. Village at threat from over development
8. Car park extension would add 35 spaces
9. Value retailer to launch new concept in Alderley Edge
10. Parish Council responds to controversial plans for new food hall
11. How many more people will lose their lives before something is done
12. Add alderleyedge.com to your home screen
13. Seafood restaurant set to open in former Tomfoolery premises
15. The times they are a changin at The Yard
16. Restaurant owners may return with new venture
17. Reader's Letter: London Road racetrack
18. Real housewife and footballer husband to help light up Alderley
19. Cheshire housewife opens Wilmslow boutique
20. How many weddings before a funeral
21. Railway Kitchen pulls out of Alderley
22. Responsive website replaces alderleyedge.com app
23. Sneak peek inside Alderley's newest restaurant
24. Luxury store opens in former bank
25. Government gives green light to Handforth Garden Village
I would like to publicly thank those local businesses who have booked our annual visibility packages and kindly allocated some of their marketing spend to our local independent business, enabling them to promote themselves, their activities and their events throughout the year.
Without the support of the following it really would not have been possible for us to continue to provide this free service to the community: Bupa Care Homes, Orbit Developments, Aldeli, Alderley Edge School for Girls, Alderley Pilates, Chafes, Highams, Kimble Roden Architects (who celebrated 5 years in business together in 2017) Physiofit, and The Ryleys - all of which are featured in our advertisers directory.
We were also delighted that Waters Corporation chose to support the service we provide to the community by sponsoring our weekly newsletter for the fifth year running.
I run both alderleyedge.com and wilmslow.co.uk singlehandedly which is a full time job, my only source of income is from advertising so if any other local businesses would like to promote themselves via alderleyedge.com and wilmslow.co.uk and support their independent local media please do get in touch at [email protected].
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Share your highs and lows of life in Alderley Edge in 2017, and your predictions for the new year in Alderley Edge via the comment box below.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read alderleyedge.com, wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018.
