www.thehousemaker.co.uk
The purpose of the exhibition is to share with the
local community the draft proposals to develop
the former TA Centre site and adjoining private
open land for housing with high quality landscape
and ecological enhancements to the adjoining
public open space. The following boards explain
the draft proposals in more detail.
The exhibition provides an opportunity for you
to view the draft proposals and provide us with
any feedback you may have before a full planning
application is submitted to Cheshire East Council.
So please fill in one of the comments forms and
let us know your ideas and suggestions.
Welcome
Thank you for taking the time to attend today
The House Maker
Meet a very different house builder; see
what inspired architects have designed for
Macclesfield. These are better-designed
homes – light, spacious and contemporar
y.
We’re small, local, privately-owned, car
e about
your neighbourhood and understand your
concerns about disruptive developers too.
I promise we’re different. P
lease look around,
then let’s chat.
Robert Walsh
Managing Director, The H
ouse Maker
The Team
The House Maker has appointed a team of
professional consultants for this project.
The following team members are at the
exhibition today to answer any questions
you may have:
EAT Landscape
Advising on landscape
and who have designed the draft
landscape proposals.
UES
Advising on ecology.
Croft Transport
Solutions
Advising on all highways
and transportation matters.
HOW Planning
The lead consultant and
who have organised this
consultation event.
The Site
© Getmapping plc 2014. Plotted Scale - 1:1250
Drain PALM ERSTON R OAD ALMA CLOSE W E S T B U R Y DR IVE C LIFF O RD R OA D ARLINGTON DRIVE 2 0 54 6 9 29 1 7 4 3 4 9 14 40 5 4 4 67 5 5 6 5 3 7 8 2 66 2 6 4 4 1 7 1 2 6 3 6 4 5 3 1 7 2 1 3 1 9 14 4 4 5 9 Court 1 Westbury 1 8 1 0 4 58 39 4 0 5 1 1 8 66 Court 2 1 11 5 9 4 9 4 2 1 1 6 14 74 Westbury 5 49 2 2 7 1 3 W ard B d y Spring Issues 150.9m 149. 3m L OX LE Y C LO SE ROAD STREET BARNETT CL OW ES ST RE E T E DW AR D S TRE E T HO RS ES H OE D RIV E HO LLY OX FO R D RO AD B ES WIC K ST R EE T Playing Field 2 0 1 40 9 5 1 3 27 2 6 31 75 3 3 l5 70 l9 3 0 2 5 1 7 18 90 1 8 130 3 The 2 0 108 2 8 6 1 0 5 5 1 1 3 8 5 Sub Sta 5
Fermain Youth Club
3 3 85 88 134 9 1 9 11 118 Depot 1 9 a 1 4 2 23 1 1 112 64 2 2 1 2 9 96 6 1 1 5 Oxford 2 1 24 19 6 3 PH 1 1 4 6 9 Sunnyside 128 132 2 0 24 12 Ward Bdy CR 152.9m 150.6m 148.1m LB FB TCB P AR K B RO OK RO A D CARDIGAN CLOSE FE R N L E A D R IVE CHESTER ROAD CLIFFORD ROAD
LEA BANK CLOSE
2 4 8 1 1 1 Shelter 1 1 16 9 3 4 15 1 1 5 180 2 8 17 1 21 9 4 5 1 1 16 7 12 4 17 3 3 3 1 17 3 9 18 5 6 17 9 16 3 2 2 4 3 1 5 61 1 0 1 2 1 18 1 11 19 1 24 18 7a 4 7 176 7 10 2 2 18 3 18 7 1to33 The Upla nds El Sub Sta Greenways The Lodge Elm House Rosemount Resource Centre Beech House 2 Ward Bdy CR Pond 148.9m 150.0m 150.6m 147.8m 146.5m 147.9m 147.5m 149.9m 146.2m LB TCB GP Posts CHESTER ROAD OX F OR D RO A D NIXON STREET HA N D The Mallards FRANCES STREET WE ST ST RE ET C LOW ES ST R EE T F IE L D B A N K RO A D K ER S H AW G R O V E Sta Sub Sub Sta El El 11 4a 9 96 1 Works 1 21 21 162 1 4 0 Esther Jones 14 5a 1 2a 10 1 Regency Hospital 14 7 5 1 2 15 5 10 11 7 2 11 22 4 9 Margaret 156 18 4 3 4 4 7 Station 168 29 20 1 5 8 Works 14 5 1 0 20 13 1 1 El 3 122 Residence 6a Sub Sta 3 2 172 W orks Daymond Residence 164 2 1 1 10 1 19 5 21 Villae 1 6 1 3 0 12 162a 166 172a 1 4 0 Tres 1 3 18 3 11 3 The Beaulieu House Thornhill Te rrace Nursery Garage Blackthorn 4 2 10 7 El Macclesfield Hospital (W est Park Branch)
1
4
The Regency Mill
Fire and Ambulance
Oxford House
0m 50m 100m 150m
Ordnance Survey © Crown Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Licence number 100022432. Plotted Scale - 1:2500 The site is 2.88 hectares (7.12
acres) in size and is located within Macclesfield’s urban area.
It comprises:
1. The Former TA Centre Land – A parcel of brownfield land fronting on to Chester Road. This part of the site previously housed the former TA centre buildings which have been demolished and the land cleared for development. 2. Private Open Land – located to the immediate
south of the former TA Centre and is privately owned
open land.
3. Public Open Space – located to the west of the former TA Centre and the private open land.
The site is located in a
predominantly residential area and is bounded by:
• Chester Road to the north and beyond that an established
residential area; • To the east by the Macclesfield fire and ambulance stations; • All Hallows Roman
Catholic College to the south; and
• An established residential area to the west.
www.thehousemaker.co.uk
Planning History
The former TA Centre is a
committed development site and
has a detailed planning history.
The most recent planning
applications are:
Continuing Care
Retirement Community
(2008)
Full permission was granted by Macclesfield
Borough Council in September 2008
for a Continuing Care Retirement
Community comprising:
• 49 care apartments within a main building;
• 38 mews cottages;
• 27 care apartments; and
• A new signalised vehicular access from
Chester Road.
Housing Scheme (2012)
Full planning permission was granted by
Cheshire East Council in 2012 for a residential
development comprising 87 new dwellings.
This scheme was made up of 28 houses and
59 apartments with a new signalised vehicular
access from Chester Road.
The House Maker’s Housing
Scheme (2014)
The former TA Centre is in need of
redevelopment and represents an opportunity
to deliver housing and affordable housing
in a sustainable location. The previous
developments have stalled and the 2012
housing scheme does not currently meet
market demand due to the high proportion of
apartments. The House Maker has secured the
site and a revised family housing scheme which
meets current market demand is proposed.
www.thehousemaker.co.uk
A Sustainable Location
The site is positioned in a
sustainable location. It is
situated within the urban area
of Macclesfield approximately
2 km from the Town Centre
and 1.5 km to the east of
Broken Cross local centre.
It is located within accessible
walking distance of a wide range
of existing shops, services and
facilities in the local area as
shown on the Local Catchment
Plan opposite.
The Need for Housing
National Need
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published by the Government in March 2012. The
NPPF focuses upon the need to ensure economic growth and the delivery of sustainable development. At the heart of the NPPF is a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’.
The NPPF identifies the need for Local Authorities to boost significantly the supply of housing, for which
there is a chronic national need. The national need currently equates to approximately three million new homes to be delivered between now and 2025. The average age of first time buyers (currently at 37), and the number of larger families living in unsuitable accommodation are increasing.
Through the NPPF, the Government requires all Local Authorities, including Cheshire East Council, to identify sufficient deliverable housing sites to ensure that there is a continuous five year supply of houses (i.e. land with planning permission for new development).
Local Need
The Council has recently reported that it does not have a deliverable five year housing land supply. The development of the site for residential development would therefore help the Council to deliver the homes needed within the Borough.
Cheshire East Council produced an update to its Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
(SHLAA) in February 2013. The SHLAA contains the Council’s own assessment of a range of sites across the Borough for housing potential.
The former TA Centre site is included within the SHLAA and confirms that the site forms part of Cheshire East Council’s five year housing supply. The SHLAA states that:
• The site is suitable for housing;
• Housing can be achieved on the land in the next five years;
• The land is available for housing development; and
• The site could deliver 87 new homes.
SHLAA Extract
www.thehousemaker.co.uk
An Environmentally
Responsible Scheme
Ecology
An Ecological Impact Assessment has been prepared by UES. As part of the proposed residential development the area of public open space to the west of the site will be retained and enhanced as a local wildlife site. The open space will provide opportunities for recreation and education, as well as providing an important linear wildlife corridor locally.
The area of public open space will be formed by a stream surrounded by a mosaic of neutral and marshy
grassland, scattered immature–mature trees, and swathes of biodiverse wildflower meadows.
Neutral and marshy grasslands are designated as priority habitats under the local and UK biodiversity action plan, and as such require particular conservation action. The public open space will support rich flora and fauna assemblages, including a variety of local and UK biodiversity action plan species.
Landscape
The landscape proposals for the public open space preserve and enhance its ecological value, protect the landscape character and its assets and develop scope for educational value.
The landscape proposals comprise:
• Creation of an area of the marshy grassland; • Preservation of the natural stream;
• Retention of mature trees, where practicable;
• Enhancement and management of grassland biodiversity; • New native tree planting within the public open space and housing development;
• Areas of native scrub planting; and
• Permeable hard surfaces within the housing development and public open space.
Flood Risk
A Flood Risk Assessment has been undertaken at the site. Key conclusions from the assessment are:
• Dams Brook flows through the site and has been analysed for flood risk using a hydraulic computer model;
• Flood modelling undertaken confirms that proposed development site lies wholly in Flood Zone 1;
• New underground surface water drainage will discharge to Dams Brook at a limiting flow rate to be agreed with the Council;
• Two road crossings of Dams Brook are required and these will take
the form of local box culverts set down to allow the natural brook bed to continue through.
Trees
There are a series of Tree Preservation Orders fronting Chester Road and running north to south in the public open space. A detailed tree survey has been undertaken which has informed the housing proposals to ensure where possible that there is no unacceptable impacts on these protected trees.
Noise
A Noise Assessment has been undertaken which assesses the background noise levels of the adjoining ambulance and fire stations and road noise along Chester Road. If required, noise mitigation will be proposed as part of this scheme to protect residential amenity.
Overall Summary
The technical environmental assessments have informed the development of the draft proposals. The assessments have demonstrated that there are no constraints which prevent the development of the site for residential use.
The House Maker’s team of specialist consultants have carried out a wide range of environmental
assessments of the site. The technical assessments have been used to inform the development of the
draft proposals.
A Transport Assessment has been prepared by Croft Transport Solutions Ltd. The scope of the Transport Assessment has been agreed with
highway officers at Cheshire East Council.
The access arrangement approved as part of the 2008 CCRC scheme and 2012 housing development proposes the creation of a fourth arm to the south of the existing signal controlled junction.
Whilst this proposal was acceptable in highways terms, the highways officer at Cheshire East Council has requested that consideration be given to the provision of a roundabout to replace the existing signalised junction. A new roundabout would be in keeping with other junctions
along Chester Road and would improve the flow of traffic. At present, all traffic is required to stop when the signals are on ‘Red’ regardless of the time of day or how busy the roads are. The advantage of a roundabout is that traffic will be able to move more freely, particularly outside the
traditional morning and evening peak when traffic volumes are at their highest. The roundabout would also have a positive impact on air quality, as traffic will be able to flow more freely.
The small public car parking area to the north of the site access will
remain un-changed and users will continue to access this facility directly off Fieldbank Road. Similarly, the turning area and yellow line parking
restrictions on the other side will remain unchanged and continue to provide access to the properties it currently serves. There will be no change to the existing conditions of the parking area and parking for up to 2 hours Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm will continue to be provided.
It is worth noting that the previous residential scheme consented in
2012 related to a larger number of units than those currently proposed and as a result, the impact of the new proposals will be reduced. In any event, the site is very accessible by modes other than the private car.
Transport and Access
www.thehousemaker.co.uk
The Draft Proposals
The landscape design for the open space and housing development follows a number of key aims. The open space’s semi-natural setting, with mature trees, rough
grassland and natural stream will be sensitively managed to retain and enhance its character.
The Proposals:
• 75 high quality new dwellings comprising a mix of
2, 3 and 4 bed terraced, semi-detached and detached properties as well as spacious 2 bed apartments;
• 60 open market houses and 15 affordable properties; • Dwellings to be 2 storeys in height with the exception of house type T2 which will be 2.5 storeys and the
apartment blocks which will be 3 storeys;
• Housing development facing onto the open space creating natural surveillance of the open space; • New roundabout access;
• Creation of an ecologically valuable area of marshy grassland habitat along the stream to offset areas lost downstream;
• Natural stream to be protected from the impacts of the new development by creating an ecological buffer to either side which will act as a wildlife corridor;
• Creation of an educational resource within the open space for use by local schools; and
• Creation of a stronger footpath / cycle network
across the site enabling easy movement between the proposed housing, open space and links north / south.
Landscape and
Ecology Proposals
p p j l o d h k m p p n i g c k h j a f j e n lwww.thehousemaker.co.uk
Key Landscape features
Ecological value – protect and enhance
a. Marshy grassland habitat - a newly created area along
the stream;
b. Stream with a wildlife corridor - natural habitat along the stream continued through the housing development;
c. Swathes of bio-diverse wildflower meadows;
d. Bird and bat boxes in existing mature trees;
Educational asset for local schools e. Outdoor classroom area
including features like a log stools seating circle and insect hotel;
f. Wetland walk via a boardwalk; g. Meadow walk - with information boards on wildflowers;
Landscape enhancements
h. Existing mature trees retained; i. New native tree planting;
j. Existing long grass / scrub with mown edges to paths;
k. Upgrade existing paths; l. New paths;
m. Enhanced bridge;
n. Seating overlooking stream; o. Mosaics feature celebrating wildlife;
p. Signage / information boards at key points; and
q. Reinforced grass surface to car parking bays.
b
www.thehousemaker.co.uk
Key Benefits
and Next Steps
Thank you for taking the time to visit our exhibition.
Key benefits
The proposed development will deliver a series of key benefits:
• Provide new housing, both open market and affordable, to meet an identified need in a highly sustainable location;
• The development of a high quality mixed use scheme with a range of housing types to enhance choice and competition;
• Landscape enhancements to the adjoining open space including new native tree planting, upgraded and new footpaths, new seating
overlooking the stream, and new signage and information boards at key points;
• Ecological enhancements to the stream and public open space including newly created marshy grassland habitat, a natural wildlife corridor
following the stream, swathes of biodiverse wildflower meadows and bird and bat boxes in existing mature trees;
• An outdoor classroom area including features like log-stool seating
and insect hotel; a wetland walk via a boardwalk and meadow walk would provide educational benefits to the surrounding schools and youth centre; • 75 additional households would generate additional spending in the
local (Macclesfield) economy;
• The proposals will also generate additional Council Tax contributions for Cheshire East Council;
• The construction phase would create both direct and indirect jobs in the construction sector over the build period;
• Approximately £660,000 from the New Homes Bonus Scheme
provided to Cheshire East Council over a 6 year period for investment in the local area;
• The proposed roundabout would provide better traffic flows on
Chester Road when compared to the approved residential scheme; and • The delivery of 75 new dwellings which will assist Cheshire East
Council in meeting its statutory housing targets as required by national planning policy.
Next Steps
We are keen to know your thoughts on the draft proposals. To make sure your views are considered please complete a comments form and post in the box provided.
Should you wish to fill in your comments form at a later date then
please ensure that you return it to us by 23 December 2014 using the following contact details:
Email to Chris Sinton at:
Info@howplanning.com
Or send via post to:
40 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5GP
The exhibition boards can be viewed online at
www.thehousemaker.co.uk.
We can assure you that all comments will be considered properly and details of this will be included as part of the forthcoming full planning application to Cheshire East Council.
We hope to submit the planning application to the Council in January 2015. The Council will carry out its own consultation with the local
community before the Local Planning Authority makes a formal decision. Should you have any queries or would like to hear more about the
proposals then please do not hesitate to speak with one of the development team standing by.
