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.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
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?
This would be a reasonably fair exchange.
As Jackie says all but the most devout of retail worshippers avoid the area morning and evening if they can!
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.
Move with the times guys.....move with the times.
Ryan Dance
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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 !!!!
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.