Cheshire East Council's development company, Engine of the North, is preparing to submit a planning application for The Garden Village at Handforth in the coming weeks, and will shortly conduct public consultation on the proposed planning application.
The proposed site is bordered by the A34 to the west and the A555 (Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road) to the north. Subject to receiving planning approval, the new village will provide 1,675 new residential properties. This will include a range of housing types and tenure; including affordable and starter homes, family houses and apartments.
It will also include bungalows suitable for older people and up to 175 extra care housing units for older people who need care. The village will also include employment land and a village centre with shops, pub, restaurants, etc. Other new facilities will include a primary school, children's day nursery, sports facilities, and a village hall. In addition, there will be around 47 hectares of green open space.
The planning application will be a 'hybrid' submission, with outline permission being sought to establish the principles for housing and the wider site layout, and detailed permission being sought for the site accesses, infrastructure and public realm to create the village centre.
As part of the public consultation process, an exhibition of the proposals will be on display at Handforth Youth Centre, Old Road, Handforth, SK9 3AB on Wednesday 16 January, from 3.30pm to 7.30pm. Members of the Engine of the North team will be on hand to answer any queries about the project.
Councillor Jamie Macrae, chairman of Engine of the North, said "The Garden Village at Handforth will see around 1,675 new dwellings - homes and extra care units - built in the north of the borough, including affordable and starter homes for young people, family houses and accommodation for older people."
Councillor Macrae added: "We want The Garden Village to be a true sustainable 'lifetime' community, where people of all ages can live, work and play. Engine of the North will act as lead developer on behalf of the council and will soon submit a planning application to deliver the necessary infrastructure for the site and the public realm to create the village centre. Before we submit our planning application, we would like to give the community a further opportunity to comment on the proposals and I'd like to encourage people to participate in the forthcoming public consultation."
Frank Jordan, Cheshire East Council's executive director for place, said: "We welcome this public consultation by Engine of the North and would encourage people and interested stakeholders to take this opportunity to share their views on the proposals."
For those unable to attend the public exhibition, further information will be available on the dedicated website, where feedback can also be submitted.
In addition, Cheshire East Council will conduct their own statutory public consultation on the planning application in due course.
