Cheshire East Council approved strategies to support the revitalisation of nine town centres across the borough - including Wilmslow and Handforth, subject to appropriate funding being identified, at a meeting of its economy and growth committee on Tuesday, 17th January.
Following on from the Crewe town centre regeneration delivery framework for growth and the Macclesfield town centre strategic regeneration framework, the council has now developed 'town centre vitality plans' (TCVPs) for the Cheshire East towns of Alsager, Congleton, Handforth, Knutsford, Middlewich, Nantwich, Poynton, Sandbach and Wilmslow.
The plans have been co-created by Cheshire East Council officers, town councils, local stakeholders and external advisers and they established an agreed set of priority actions for each town centre. Any actions will be taken forward as and when opportunities arise, and resources allow.
Known as 'town centre vitality plans' (TCVPs), each individual plan has the objective of providing a clear sense of direction for supporting town centre vitality and viability. It could include initiatives, which do not require significant funding, but which could be taken forward by local volunteers and/or businesses.
The Council feels that when opportunities to apply for funding for town centre improvements arise, such as from central government, it is beneficial to have clear town centre plans already in place to support bids for funding.
The town centre vitality plans include the following priority actions:
Handforth
1: Deliver Strong Cycling and Walking Connections, Including from the Garden Village into the Centre of Handforth (PRIORITY)
2: Enhance the Street Environment Along Wilmslow Road
3: Making more of the Paddock and Meriton Park
4: Raising Handforth's Profile
5: Mobilising the Business Community
6: Making more of Community Assets
7: Public Transport
Wilmslow
1: Strengthening green space and links (PRIORITY)
2: Creating more opportunities to dwell in the centre (PRIORITY)
3: Improving the town's core
4: Creating stronger gateways into the Centre
5: Expanding the events programme
6: Raising the Centre's profile
7: Mobilising the business community
8: Making more of community assets
9: Better management of Movement
10: Embracing cycling
Councillor Nick Mannion, chair of Cheshire East Council's economy and growth committee, said: "We have enjoyed excellent levels of engagement with many people who have interests in all of the places we are supporting – getting that insight from those people who know the towns best has been invaluable.
"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who got involved with the consultation process. Their suggestions have really helped to shape these plans.
"Town centres across the UK are continuing to face unprecedented challenges. Changes in how we buy products and services, and the growth of online shopping has increased competition for town centre businesses.
"We are a predominantly rural economy, so it is vital that we do everything we can to support our smaller towns, which many of our residents are more likely to call upon for their needs. All of the towns that these plans support are very individual, so it was important that they reflected that."
The town centre vitality plans identify projects and initiatives that should be focused on when sources of funding become available, with potential opportunities including the council's Shared Prosperity Fund allocation from government.
They do not commit the council to funding any initiatives or projects at this stage.
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When entering the Hall Road footpath at its southwestern end, the pedestrian currently has to negotiate a veritable minefield of potholes at the entrance to the car park for St Benedicts’ RC church. Outside the church the Hall Road footpath has a reasonable surface. However, the road carriageway is often narrowed by cars parked in a gap between double yellow lines. Parking here causes (dangerous) queues of vehicles trying to enter or to leave Hall Road. Unless the gap in the double yellow lines is closed, cyclists travelling to or from the Garden Village will have to negotiate these traffic queues. Hopefully the gap in the yellow lines on Hall Road will be closed when the proposed (planning application 20/2211M) station car park is built.
Travelling east along Hall Road, pedestrians have to cross the entrance to Hereford Drive. Shortly after this point the Hall Road footpath features a wide depression that often fills with mud or water. This depression is not easy to step across. The footpath next begins to dip steeply down into the valley of the Spath Brook. This steep incline is not easy for elderly persons to negotiate when the weather is warm and dry and becomes dangerous under frosty or icy conditions.
In my view this slope should be moderated by the construction of steps or the provision of a handrail.
As it crosses Spath Brook and runs beside the playing field of St Benedict’s school
the footpath is relatively narrow. It is often difficult, therefore, for pedestrians to make their way against the flow of parents and children entering or leaving the school. There is a good argument for widening the footpath in this region. There is a wide area of footpath immediately outside the pedestrian entrance to the school. However, between the pedestrian and vehicular entrances to the school, the footpath is very badly distorted by tree roots.
The footpath on the north side of Hall Road and running across the frontage of Handforth Hall and the Sanctuary development has an excellent surface. However, it then merges into somewhat rough ground at the eastern end of Hall Road, ground that forms the entrance to the concrete track (footpath 127) mentioned above. It is at this point that pedestrian traffic will emerge from the development planned for the Sun Field site on the southern side of the track. Near this point footpath 127 has been temporarily diverted into the Sun Field. The surface of the diversion into the Sun Field involves very coarse aggregate that makes for unpleasant walking. The diversion also often floods. The planned (April 2023) removal of the diversion cannot therefore come soon enough.
The concrete track is bounded by ancient hedgerows that are protected under Handforth’s neighbourhood plan. The hedgerow damage already caused by development work should be repaired. The track itself is wide enough to carry a vehicle. If the track is to be shared by both cyclists and pedestrians, I would argue (based on hazardous experiences during the use of footpath 91 from Hall Road to Coppice Way) for separate lanes to be provided. The concrete track is relatively straight and flat thereby allowing cyclists to achieve a relatively high speed. Towards its eastern end the concrete track will need to cross the vehicular access (an extension to Jamie Webb Drive) to the Sun Field site. A zebra crossing or a light controlled crossing will be needed here.
The new bridge over the Handforth bypass will accommodate both cyclists and pedestrian traffic. Its western end will take the form of a spiral ramp down which cyclists could potentially attain a high speed. This surely argues for cyclists to use a lane separate from that of pedestrians and for the crossing of the extension to Jamie Webb drive to have good forewarning signage.
Since the proposed station car park will be equipped with secure storage for bicycles it will form an important component of the cycle path between the Garden Village and the existing village centre. It will ease the chronic shortage of parking space within the village and, by virtue of its planned bus terminus/turning circle, will likely improve Handforth’s public transport facilities. It is to be hoped therefore that Cheshire East Council will assign some priority to the construction of the car park.
The views expressed above are my personal observations and opinions.
Roger Small
Chair Handforth Neighbourhood Plan Steering group.