A planning application has been submitted on behalf of Next Plc for the construction a new home and garden store at Handforth Dean.
The proposal is for the erection of a retail store with a conservatory, garden centre, coffee shop and 209 car parking spaces on land adjacent to the A34 - close to Tesco, Marks and Spencer and BHS.
The site is part of a larger area of land, approximately 6 hectares, which is owned by Cheshire East Council and was most recently used for airport car parking, accommodating in the region of 3,000 cars. It is currently vacant.
This will be the first purpose built Next home and garden store in the country and will sell a range of furniture goods, with a conservatory style building and outdoor sales area for garden products. The proposed store will also sell Next's range of clothing, footwear and accessories products - these are currently sold from Next's existing store at Stanley Green, which the proposed scheme will replace.
If planning permission is granted the development could be completed within twelve months, delivering an investment of £10m and creating 185 jobs.
The planning application, reference 12/4652M, can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website.
The last date for submitting comments is 10th January 2013 and the application is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the Northern Planning Committee on 13th February. A decision should be made by 6th March 2013.
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The site proposed for Next could have been better used to develop starter homes and social housing and relieved the pressure on the green belt.