Garden Village development moves a step forward
13 January 2022
Plans to deliver ‘The Garden Village at Handforth’ have moved a step closer today.
The Garden Village at Handforth will create a bespoke new village that will include 1,500 new high-quality design homes and extensive ‘green infrastructure’ – more than 40 per cent of the site will be open space, public amenity space or protected habitat for both residents and the wider public to enjoy.
It will also include a new school, up to 30 acres of employment land creating local jobs, a village centre with shops, restaurants, a hotel, and a village pub, new footpaths and cycleways, up to 175 housing units for older people who need care, and a children’s nursery.
Today (13 January), at a meeting of Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board, committee members resolved to be minded to approve a hybrid planning application for the scheme, subject to conditions and legal agreements.
Councillor Nick Mannion, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “This development has all the ingredients to create a truly wonderful new Cheshire village for the benefit of those living in, working in, and visiting the Garden Village for generations to come.
“Today’s decision by members of the strategic planning board is a fantastic step forward for this development and officers can continue to progress and deliver an exemplar scheme.
“The Garden Village will not only provide a range of new homes, but will encourage healthier and more active lifestyles, and support biodiversity – delivering a net gain through planned on and off-site measures.”
The development is one of 14 Government designated Garden Villages through Homes England’s locally-led Garden Village Programme, which gives the scheme national recognition.
The council is the lead developer and owns around 70 per cent of the land allocated for the garden village, while the remaining 30 per cent is owned by third parties.
The site – allocated as a strategic development site in the council’s adopted Local Plan Strategy – is around 300 acres and is east of the A34, south of the A555 and will be accessed via the A34 bypass.
At the heart …
