Plans approved for Cheshire residential development

Planning has been secured for a housing development at Chester Road in Poynton.

Acting on behalf of Ainscough Strategic Land, planning consultancy Turley secured the approval from Cheshire East Council‘s Strategic Planning Board for the development of around 120 dwellings on the site which was recently allocated within the Council’s Local Plan, having formerly been within the Green Belt.

Whilst the application was made in outline form, the layout indicates a residential community can be delivered on the site, including 36 affordable homes. The development will make financial contributions towards local schools and health facilities, and support the delivery of the Poynton Relief Road.

The site had been promoted by ASL throughout the long-running preparation of the Local Plan, including the various stages of public examination. Poynton had originally only been allocated 200 new homes for a 20 year period, but the Local Plan Inspector did not accept this approach, leading the council to uplift its number substantially.

The Chester Road site was one of those sites then identified to be released from the Green Belt to meet the town’s housing needs.

Stephen Bell, head of planning North at Turley, said: ”Poynton has had too few houses built for far too long, leading to severe affordability issues and an ageing population. It was critical that the Local Plan grappled with this and, finally, it did so. This site was an always seen by ASL and ourselves as a logical Green Belt release site as it performs limited Green Belt function and can be a seamless extension to the existing urban areas. We’re delighted that perseverance in progressing through the Local Plan process has paid off and the site can now help to deliver much needed housing for the town.”

John Brooks from Ainscough Strategic Land said: “We are very pleased with the council’s decision, which is entirely in accordance with their recently adopted Local Plan. Poynton is a very appealing location and the site is well suited to delivering an attractive development of family homes. We will shortly be bringing the site to the market and we are already aware of considerable developer interest. There is considerable pent-up demand in this part of Cheshire and we expect the site to prove very popular.”