Car park ‘will not be sold for homes’
ATOWN centre car park will not be sold off for housing, council bosses have claimed.
Cheshire East Council has begun a public consultation over plans to create four new residential neighbourhoods in the town centre.
These include Northside, an area north of Hibel Road including Macclesfield magistrates’ court, Whalley Hayes, which covers land west of the job centre, Macclesfield Police Station and Whalley Hayes car park itself.
The scheme prompted fears another large car park serving the town centre could be lost on top of Churchill Way which will make ways for the cinema scheme.
But now the local authority has revealed that Whalley Hayes car park, which is publicly owned, would be only be reconfigured to allow some housing at its western end.
The council has also confirmed that the redevelopment of the police station is only at the discussion stage.
Coun Janet Jackson, who represents Macclesfield central ward, backs brownfield development rather than using green belt land for the 4,250 homes planned for Macclesfield over the next 15 years.
She said: “I don’t an issue with the police station land being developed for housing provided there is a plan for a replacement somewhere in the town. But i sounds like this idea is at its very earliest stages. As for Whalley Heyes I have been assured that the car park will be retained and reconfigured to keep most of the spaces but allow for the development at the end which connects to Grosvenor Street.”
All four areas could be transformed using what is called Local Development Orders (LDOs), a planning tool which speeds up the process to allow brownfield sites to be redeveloped.
A spokesman for the council said: “This consultation is to sound out residents and businesses on a proposal to identify two areas of Macclesfield as potential sites for towncentre living.
“The police station and Whalley Hayes car park are included in those areas identified as areas for further discussion.
“Currently, there is no firm plan to include the police station within the final LDO and there is no intention to develop the Whalley Hayes car park in its entirety.
“Only if there is sufficient interest and agreement with property owners, will the plan go to the next stage.”