Macc retail assessment ahead of Wilson Bowden decision

CHESHIRE East Council is to carry out a retail assessment for Macclesfield to help inform the planning decision on a major town centre scheme submitted by Wilson Bowden.

In January the developer put in revised plans for the £90m, 200,000 sq ft Silk Street development which includes a department store, 19 high street shops, a cinema complex, restaurants and a multi-storey car park.

The development covers an area from Exchange Street to Park Lane, bounded by Mill Street, Water Street and Churchill Way.

Around 1,600 comments were made during a consultation with many questioning the need for the scheme and its potential impact on the town, according to the council.

Council leader Michael Jones said: “It is the elected members of the strategic planning board who will decide this landmark application and I will ensure they have the best possible information to inform this decision.”

He added: “This planning application is too important to rush and get wrong. It is vitally important that we put the best information before members – and get it right for the people of Macclesfield. As a council we are committed to growing the economy of Cheshire East to make it a better place to live, work, do business and visit.”

The strategic planning board meeting scheduled for March 20 has now been postponed.