Keyworker makes progress on Macclesfield scheme

A BLACKPOOL developer has completed the first phase of a £30m redevelopment of part of the Macclesfield Hospital site.

Keyworker Homes has finished the Kids Allowed nursery and a 75-bed care home should be occupied by the end of the summer.

The six-and-a-half-acre site, known as the Blue Zone, will also have housing, retail units and 40,000 sq ft of office space. It is due to be completed by 2013.

Leigh-based Flourish Capital provided finance of £2.3m to Keyworker. A listed building on the site, known as the Clock Tower, was sold to Dane Housing for a 36-property affordable housing scheme, and the care home element is being handled by Cannon Capital Partnership.

Macclesfield Economic Forum chairman Clare Hayward said: “As we know, this is a difficult time for town centres and we recognise that for Macclesfield to be successful we must recognise the change in our expectations and lifestyles.

“This means we need to focus on a number of things: ensuring a mix of usage; building on our heritage, whilst keeping focused on the future; combining the best of our old buildings and ensuring that they are fit for today and tomorrow; enabling a mix of residential, retail, education, entertainment and commerce; and, most of all, developing our community.

“This development is a great example of how we can support those aims. It is great to see that organisations, individuals and the council are prepared to invest in the future success of Macclesfield.”