Cheshire East Council has set aside land located near Handforth in Wilmslow for the development of a new village large enough for 2,000 homes.
Should the plans for the North Cheshire Growth Village come to fruition, there will be a wealth of new properties available for buyers and renters. No doubt builders in Cheshire will also see an increase in demand.
It may be, however, that the village has to be developed on green belt land in order to stay on track with government housing goals.
The Council’s Michael Jones made it clear that targets had been set and that local authorities would be doing all they could to achieve them. The proposal is just one part of Cheshire East’s larger development plan.
It has been estimated that the North West has to develop 10,000 new homes per year to keep up with the rising population. However, it has built just 3,000 in the last few years.
The plan that the council has drawn up has been in the works for three years after a number of public consultations. In addition to homes, it includes green spaces, schools, road infrastructure projects and new employment sites.
Mr Jones went on to say:
“Unfortunately, in the north of the borough, we only have green belt land we can build on.”
He added that the village, as well as the land development, would benefit people across the region. In total, the work would affect less than one per cent of the borough’s available green belt land.
