Cheshire East Council has welcomed the news that insurance giant Royal London will remain in the borough and will take up the opportunity to relocate to Alderley Park.
The announcement ends speculation around the future location for the company and means that up to 1,200 jobs will stay in Cheshire East, with the potential to generate more employment opportunities at its current base in Wilmslow.
The news was announced to staff and management at the Wilmslow site this morning. Cheshire East Council leader Rachel Bailey was also informed and broke the news at this afternoon's meeting of full council in Macclesfield.
Councillor Bailey said: "This is excellent news and I wish to thank Royal London for demonstrating its faith in and loyalty to the borough by choosing to stay in Cheshire East.
"Royal London has recognised that our expanding economic base, together with the skills and talents of our working residents, combine to offer a sustainable and successful future for the company based in Cheshire East.
"I wish to thank Councillor George Hayes, chairman of the Skills and Growth Company and its managing director Julian Cobley for the hard work they have put in to this matter.
"They will continue to work with Royal London through the relocation process and offer support to help the business thrive.
"The name of Royal London has been a part of the employment and economic fabric of Cheshire since the company moved to Wilmslow from Manchester in the early 1980s, and, therefore, it is so reassuring to learn that this prestigious company will continue to be based in the borough."
Royal London also announced today that Royal London Asset Management will remain committed to its Wilmslow site and hopes to see its masterplan come to fruition. This includes mixed-use commercial, retail and housing opportunities – subject to planning – which would have the potential to create a further 1,500 to 2,000 jobs.
Neil Kilshaw, head of group facilities and estate transformation at Royal London, said: "It has long been recognised by Royal London and by Cheshire East Council that our existing buildings in Wilmslow no longer meet the needs of a growing modern business like ours.
"We have thoroughly investigated a range of possible sites, including remaining at a redeveloped Wilmslow campus or moving out of the borough. Our exhaustive search has convinced us that Cheshire East and Parklands, at Alderley Park, is the best possible location for our business and our staff."
Councillor Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: "Not only do we see Royal London stay in Cheshire East, but we also have a golden opportunity here to generate new jobs, including specialist skills in financial and technical services.
"We look forward to seeing Royal London's plans in more detail."
Royal London will move to the Parklands office complex, the move is expected to take place before 2020.
The current Royal London site is a strategic site allocation in the Local Plan. The ambition is to develop the site as a 'living campus', to create a thriving environment for business, as well as opportunities for living, employment and leisure.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
BUT good old Rachel & Ainsley well done you trying to get a positive spin for CEC, however the house building you are rubber stamping on the greenbelt near AP and Henbury, will not be the sort the majority of RL's employees will be able to afford to buy and re-locate too. So where are these guys going to live, because CEC have hidden all the brown field sites, so no low cost or starter homes available nearby!
Glad to see the jobs, well done RL securing the lease and committing to staying in Cheshire.
Royal London has been working with developers (and the council) for years to gain planning for new offices (and housing). It made the argument at the time that it needed to expand and made a "threat" that it would have to move out of wilmslow if planning wasn't granted.
Only last week it issued plans for developing the land off Alderly road for public consultation. A week later it says it's moving out!
What's the justification for the land being developed now Royal London?
The council has also paved the way for all of this to happen - only last week approving plans for access off the A34. The justification given Royal London is moving out ?
The process of consultation and approvals is utterly flawed if not corrupt.
Things move on and we have to embrace this. Wilmslow is much bigger than it was 30 years ago, we can’t stand still we have to move with the times.
At least RL staff aren’t clogging up residential areas with cars unlike the business next to the train station and St Barts church. Same cars parked all day in 1 hour bays and on double yellow lines.
Now they have planning permission, Royal London scarpers with the cash. The few current pictures of how the site will look are fantasy. Royal London will sell this site with planning permission on and the developer will push for more houses. Soon the site will be ALL houses to maximise their profit. And a massive employer for the town will be gone, green fields lost and for what exactly? More executive homes and a handful of 1 bed flats.
The Head of Planning at CE and the local Conservative councillors who managed and voted for this are either massively deceitful or incredibly incompetent. Either way they should not be in office.
Pretending this is a positive for Wilmslow just rubs salt into the wounds.
So, we need five sets of these: http://ebay.eu/2xSY3uc , for the Head of Planning and the Wilmslow Four, all of whom seem to be in "run silent, run deep" mode.
But their well planned exodus to AZ site under CEC Governance and removal of the RL Site from Green belt, followed by the access road issues just shows how complicit CEC The ward Cllr and others have been in maximizing commercial revenue, without any consideration to social infrastructure.
Cllr Goldsmith sums it up.. THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN OFFICE !
Everyone involved in & with this cabal, some with mega fund value bonuses (RL fund managers), another via deceitfully gained fee income, how about that for turnover, and CEC by increase in tax revenue is a winner!
But what about the losers? Yes there are hundreds of these - the local residents who will have to endure the consequences for evermore of this ugly example of corporate greed. Now that HOW is successfully preparing the ground for the RL (former) Green Belt sites to a developer to do what it wishes, all will be well and profitable within that camp. But not for the locals.
Even more traffic congestion on Alderley Road, increases in noise & air pollution, inadequate & over run infrastructure - but what the heck! The guilty parties will be laughing all the way to their bankers with their sordid, ill gotten gains.
Cheshire East Council and its CEC Wilmslow Conservative councillors have stabbed the town in the back. All along RoW implored CE councillors and the then totally Conservative WTC that any development in the GB would be a Trojan horse, a green light for destruction. RoW was a lone voice - CEC's Conservative councillors were either not either brave enough or lacked any obvious signs foresight. (The current WTC has now shown it agrees with the RoW strategy, maybe aided by the addition of two RoW councillors - David Jefferey & Mark Goldsmith).
Wilmslow has been sold down the river BUT the day of reckoning is fast approaching for the duplicitous, untrustworthy, Conservative's who supposedly represent Wilmslow on CEC.
So folks, mark the date, May 2019 - their days are numbered.
Only RoWs Toni Fox (Dean Row) has been seen & heard to be consistently standing up for the people of Wilmslow. Why do you not join RoW and join in the fight to ensure your voice, Wilmslow's voice, is heard loud and clear?
YOU can contact RoW here - http://www.residentsofwilmslow.com/
Whilst RoW are Independents, they have 'allegiances' unlike most other Independent candidates.
Vote Independent at the next Election to reduce the Cons majority.