Plans for new retail development at Handforth Dean

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Orbit Developments has submitted a planning application for a new retail development adjacent to the existing Handforth Dean retail park which consists of Marks and Spencer, Tesco and British Home Store.

The scheme includes the demolition of existing buildings and erection of a parade of five units along with a standalone single drive thru unit. The proposal is for five units to be used for Class A1 (non-food retail) purposes and two units to be used for Class A1 and/or Class A3 (restaurant and cafe) and/or Class A5 (hot food takeaway).

Additionally a car park containing 240 spaces would be created along with new entrance off Earl Road.

The site currently contains a large warehouse and smaller office building, built in the 1970s, and scrubland. To the west it is bounded by the John Lewis distribution centre and to the east is the vacant Council owned land which Cheshire East is currently trying to sell - NEXT has been granted planning permission for a home and garden superstore on part of this adjacent site.

Planning permission has previously been granted for the demolition of the existing buildings and replacement with two office blocks but this has not come to fruition due to a lack of demand and plentiful supply in the local area.

The planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for planning reference 15/0400M. The deadline for submitting comments is 12th March and a decision is expected to be made by 24th April.

The application is scheduled to be considered by the Northern Planning Committee at their meeting on April 1st.

Tags:
Handforth Dean, Orbit Developments, Planning Applications
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Derek Stevens
Wednesday 18th February 2015 at 12:29 pm
If this development goes through, where will the travellers illegally park and fly tip their rubbish etc??
What will the council do with the money saved on legal actions?
Will the police be out in force to ticket any shopper illegally parking on Earl Road?
Nick Jones
Wednesday 18th February 2015 at 12:47 pm
Great use of space..I mean the more yellow lines and parking restrictions that are imposed in Wilmslow and Alderley Edge the more workers and potential customers will find attractive out of town development such as this ....Forethought is somewhat different to Foresight !!!
DELETED ACCOUNT
Wednesday 18th February 2015 at 1:21 pm
As it stands if you want to go to Handforth Dean you have to do so between 9am and 3pm because of the traffic. A developer is also seeking to develop more of the land by Stanley Green next to the new Costa Coffee which, of course, falls under Stockport not Cheshire East. The Semms road will flow down the back and, no doubt, will bring increased traffic to the area as a whole. The Cheadle John Lewis junction on the A34 is also packed with traffic and likely to get worse because of the new Jones homes set to be built there.So the A34 will end up being gridlocked at all points. Meanwhile, on the estate behind Marks and Spencers "Orbit" also own masses of office blocks which are standing empty. A cynical person might suggest that Orbit (the commercial arm of Jones Homes) wants to develop this area as retail because they believe that the Inspector for the Local Plan is likely to throw out the proposed housing estate on Council Land at Handforth, which they would, no doubt, have had a chance of bidding for. All in all a planning mess in which only residents suffer.
Manuel Golding
Wednesday 18th February 2015 at 3:02 pm
If Mr Jones and his cohorts wish to build even more retail units, albeit at Handforth Dean, it would seem to be a wonderful opportunity for our far-seeing (or should that be myopic? Open to correction) council leadership & its planners to "persuade" the said Mr Jones to act with the interests of his local community (Wlm, AE, Handforth) at the forefront and convert his long empty offices to living accommodation.
This would be a reasonably fair exchange.
Oliver Romain
Wednesday 18th February 2015 at 3:43 pm
So they want a drive through. This will lead to more litter being thrown from cars. The A34 is already litter strewn.
Simon Worthington
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 8:42 am
This area is chaos morning and evening and when the overdue bypass is completed the traffic from the east will grow vastly. Factor in the "settlement" of 2300 homes nearby and the 1000 on Woodford airfield this will create constant gridlock. I have said before that commuting by road to Manchester from north east Cheshire or to any of the schools the children will have to be sent to as ours are full will be impossible in a few years time. Hence the renewed attacks on the area by Manchester Council who have eyed the area and it's money avariciously for years. Note the developments at the Zeneca site and the airport. The Orbit organisation which made it's cash out of the gift of Summerfields in the eighties (and council deals such as the Riverside offices by the bypass feed road) has no interest in the local community despite such gifts as our gorgeous multi-storey on Water Lane and over development of all office parking spaces around the town.
As Jackie says all but the most devout of retail worshippers avoid the area morning and evening if they can!
Sandra Cox
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 9:04 am
Simon - excellent summing up of a situation which seems unavoidable.
An example of human greed over common sense and any care for the environment.
Whatever we, the electorate, say is ignored.
Our only hope is that the other areas that make up Cheshire East use their votes wisely in May but I worry they do not realise the true nature of this Council and the cap on Council Tax will seduce them to re-elect the present self-serving bunch.
Ryan Dance
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 11:30 am
Great development / addition to the area (if it gets through archaic, bureaucratic, dated, poor, overly expensive & completely inefficient planning process).

Move with the times guys.....move with the times.

Ryan Dance
DELETED ACCOUNT
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 1:02 pm
Afternoon Ryan.

While you are about it why not suggest that the proposed development has its own bank, post - office, local authority leisure centre and schools. In that way it could, at least, become a town in its own right. As it stand Handforth Dean is an out of town shopping centre surrounded by offices. Moving "with the times" means learning from the past and not recreating the problems of the post industrial age.

Where we can agree is, "completely inefficient planning process" - that sums Cheshire East up nicely.
Ryan Dance
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 2:51 pm
Good Afternoon Jackie,

Great to reignite a debate with you after our Adlington Road discussion.

Moving with the times - means both learning from the past but also accepting change, building a prosperous, progressive, productive, entrepreneurial & aspiring nation.

Let's just get on with it - rather than keep empty, unproductive, redundant tracks of land because we dont want any development....for fear of a traffic jam!

Good luck to the developers - lets just hope the NIMBY culture in this part of town doesn't prevail!

Ryan Dance
DELETED ACCOUNT
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 3:41 pm
"but also accepting change, building a prosperous, progressive, productive, entrepreneurial & aspiring nation"

I'm sure Ryan that everyone accepts there has to be "change" - but, it is change for the better that people want, - change which protects heritage, ecology, and air quality for subsequent generations. A country can be "progressive", "productive" and "entrepreneurial" without consuming fresh tracts of land.
Ryan Dance
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 3:51 pm
This development seems perfectly sensible, rationale & reasonable to me.....?

It's not greenbelt? unless you correct me? it's so called "brownfield", next to an existing retail development & currently unused redundant land?

The main issue appears to be fear of residential housing, so called urban sprawl & increased traffic congestion? or have i missed something on this one? if so, big deal.... maybe our healthy nation can choose an alternative mode of transport.
Richard Bullock
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 5:56 pm
@RyanDance: No the proposed development is not in the green belt.
Terry Roeves
Thursday 19th February 2015 at 8:27 pm
This plan must anticipate 1850 houses being built on the other side of the A34.
Congestion was rejected at the SEMMS planning meeting as a reason for refusal, because there will be extra lanes between the link road and the Stanley Green island to reduce congestion, 100m approx.
Handforth Dean housing, retail and offices were not considered because they were still in someone's imagination, ie nothing concrete so to speak - nothing on paper for the planning board to consider.
So, no CEC plan and no overt information about the overall future. The hidden agenda continues, with priorities that adversely affect current and future residents, as North Cheshire, especially Wilmslow and Handforth expand their dormitory role for Manchester.
Ryan Dance
Friday 20th February 2015 at 8:27 am
Terry - I think these conspiracy stories regarding hidden agendas are a little absurd. I see these views being aired daily on this website. What exactly is this hidden agenda?

The fact is we need development but seldom does investment / development news on this website attract support or positivity. This land tract is unsued & very suitable for development.

This is a perfect site for development & the developers should be left alone to get on with the job. So what if it causes additional congestion? use a bicycle or many other forms of alternative transportation promoted by our local/national governments.
Jon Williams
Friday 20th February 2015 at 10:08 am
Ryan Dance:
"use a bicycle or many other forms of alternative transportation promoted by our local/national governments."

Use a bicycle ! what around Handforth Dean / Handforth / Wilmslow, maybe people would is we had roads safe to ride on and more cyclepaths !!!!
Ryan Dance
Friday 20th February 2015 at 10:40 am
Jon - very valid! I cycle & find the roads somewhat treacherous (for which cyclists / motorists are equally to blame)....however, surely the reason for non-development of "we don't want extra congestion" is a badly construed argument propelled by the NIMBY class. I think people sometimes forget "You...me ...they are the traffic problem".
Julie Green
Sunday 22nd February 2015 at 1:54 pm
Use the site for low cost housing. More retail here is not needed, and will only add to the struggle of Wilmslow and Handforth town centres to survive.
Jon Williams
Sunday 22nd February 2015 at 2:50 pm
They don't build low cost housing any more Julie and would you live next to Tesco's ?
Nick Jones
Sunday 22nd February 2015 at 6:17 pm
The travellers seem to like it Jon...!!!
Fred Rayers
Thursday 5th March 2015 at 12:04 pm
A perfectly reasonable site for development, but perhaps they should be funding (under S106?) widening of the A34 between the retail park and the A34/Eastern Link Road roundabout to try and improve some of the congestion around the roundabout that is common at many times of day (to add a dedicated lane going west onto the link road).
Richard Bullock
Thursday 5th March 2015 at 1:47 pm
@FredRayers: The A34 is being widened as part of the A555 Airport Link road scheme, according to the planning application documents I've seen.
If you're going Northbound, the A34 will gain 2 extra lanes at the Handforth Dean sliproads (to 4), one of which will be a dedicated left-turn only lane. It then continues as 3-lanes wide all the way through to a few hundred metres north of the Stanley Green roundabout.
Southbound it will be 3 lanes wide for the same distance, but with a dedicated left-turn sliproad from the A34 to A555 eastbound. The 30 mph speed limit on the A34 will be replaced by a 40.