Plans for 300 more homes on Kings site
ANOTHER MAJOR planning application for the King’s School site is now up for debate - this time for up to 300 homes.
Barratt and David Wilson Homes have submitted a reserved matters application to Cheshire East Council for the Fence Avenue site.
Proposals are for Fence House to be turned into 27 apartments, some existing buildings to be demolished and as many as 273 new homes to be put elsewhere.
Last month a similar application from Hillcrest Homes for 115 properties for the Cumberland Road site had a decision deferred with a committee asking for improvements to be made.
It followed 125 objections with concerns including the loss of the cricket pavilion Remembrance memorial, the amount of homes and insufficient parking.
For the newer application, which is also to agree specific details of a scheme already given outline planning permission, six residents have raised objections so far.
These include drainage problems, loss of trees, the appearance of houses not being ‘sympathetic’ to the area and most commonly the associated increase of traffic on already busy roads.
One objector said: “Fence Avenue is already a nightmare to navigate by road and I feel that an additional 300 dwellings will only make the situation worse.
“I would question where any children of primary age would be educated as I doubt the nearest primary school has the capacity.
“The addition of 300 dwellings means at least 300 cars - what does this mean for the air quality of Fence Avenue, an area already built off a main road?”
According to plans as many of the site’s original buildings as possible will be kept and interior and exterior architectural details retained.
It is hoped the location close to public transport and the centre of Macclesfield will lessen car use.
Reports submitted with the application state: “Prior to the commencement of the design process, a thorough contextual study was carried out of the neighbouring settlement to establish the unique characteristics of the area.
“This process has enabled the design to be developed in a manner that is sensitive to the immediate and regional character of area. The redeveloped site will contribute significantly to Macclesfield.
“This development will boost the local housing supply with a re-purposed building which sits comfortably within the council’s development plan for the area.”
Consultation is open until February 26 with the end of April targeted for a decision.
The plans relate to the site King’s will vacate when it moves to its new £60m Alderley Road campus later this year.