Plans have been submitted to build a residential development of 30 homes on the site of Oakdean Court.
The planning application has been submitted on behalf of Equity Housing Group, a specialist provider of affordable housing who own and manage over 4,600 homes.
The 0.87Ha site, owned by Cheshire East Council, is currently a derelict sheltered housing block with an area of public open space off Nightingale Close. The existing building has been closed since 2006 and is currently boarded up.
The sheltered housing block will be demolished to make way for the proposed residential development of 30 new social and rented properties. These will consist of six bungalows, seven two-bedroomed houses and seventeen three-bedroom houses.
The development will form an extension to the existing Oakdean Court access road and the area of public open space off Nightingale Close will be retained.
Documentation submitted to support the application states "the houses will offer the size and types of homes that respond to the housing needs of the area, be of sustainable construction, be efficient to run and maintain, meet 'Secured by Design' specification with the aim to engender a community spirited lifestyle for the benefit of the new and adjoining residents."
It also states "The development of 30 new homes would have a positive effect on the economics of the neighbourhood. The proposed development removes risks associated with a redundant site, creating an appropriate use that would make a valid contribution to local trade and promoting greater use of local amenity facilities."
A community Consultation event was organised by Equity Housing Group and held at Lacey Green Primary School on Thursday 21st June. The event was well supported with over 50 people registering their attendance.
Cheshire East Council announced in March that they had joined forces with social housing providers to deliver new affordable homes in Wilmslow and across the Borough.
In 2010, the authority started a procurement exercise to select an organisation that would work with them to develop and manage affordable housing on four approved sites, the largest of which is Oakdene Court.
Other sites include Westview, a former care home in Crewe, which will be converted into family homes. The other two smaller sites are in Macclesfield; Churchside Cottage, which is a row of five terraced properties, and The Moss on Congleton Road, two semi-detached properties used as offices, will be restored to provide much-needed family accommodation.
A total of 14 organisations expressed an interest in developing the sites, with five of these progressing to the shortlist stage. Following the assessment process, Equity Housing Group was selected to develop three of the sites, including Oakdean Court.
All the properties will be allocated via Cheshire Homechoice. This is the system for allocating social housing in accordance with Cheshire East's housing allocations policy.
Speaking in March, Councillor Jamie Macrae, Cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: "The provision of affordable housing is a key priority for the Council and this announcement is really good news for the people of Cheshire East.
"This particular scheme enables the council to invest its assets in partnership with the housing sector, to provide much-needed affordable housing and provide an income to the Council for re-investment in future housing provision."
He added "The 2010 Strategic Housing Market Assessment revealed that, across the Borough, there is an annual shortfall of more than 1,000 affordable dwellings. While this is not a target, it is a clear indication of the level of need across the authority.
"We have 8,000 people registered on waiting lists for affordable housing and the greatest demand is for family accommodation.
"The level of Government grants available to encourage the building of affordable housing has been reduced significantly and therefore we need to explore alternative ways in which to increase provision. Using some of the Council's land for this purpose is one important way to address this problem.
"The redevelopment of such sites will improve neighbourhoods and is another excellent example of the Council working with others to deliver for the people of Cheshire East."
The planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for planning reference 12/2578M.
The last date to submit comments is 15th August and the decision is expected to go before the planning committee on September 5th.
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