Council in blow to King’s housing plan
THE TOWN council is opposing plans for housing in the green belt which would allow a new King’s School to be built.
The council held a consultation on three major planning applications which would allow King’s School to build a new school on 70 acres of green belt next to its Derby Playing Fields in Prestbury.
As well as the application for the new school, King’s has applied for permission for up to 300 homes at its current Fence Avenue site and up to 150 at the Cumberland Street site, on the Westminster Road playing fields.
But members of the town council’s planning committee did not agree that green belt at Fence Avenue should be developed and recommended that Cheshire East rejects the application.
The decision followed a packed out consultation hosted by the town council, when more than 150 people attended to have their say, with many raising concerns about impact on the green belt, traffic congestion and drainage.
Councillors raised no objection to the development at Cumberland Street or the new school at Prestbury but agreed there are concerns about traffic and asked for highways impact assessments for both sites.
They also mended a
recomdrainage assessment for Westminster Road and environmental report for the Prestbury site.
Cheshire East councillor Mick Warren welcomed the decision to object to the Fence Avenue proposal, saying: “It’s a very contentious issue. But I’m surprised the town council has not objected to the new school at Prestbury because it’s a development for a private school in the green belt. There was strong feeling against the application at the consultation.
Coun Philip Bolton, from the town council, said the Prestbury site is outside its remit, adding: “We can only look at the impact on Macclesfield and so raised concerns about the traffic into Macclesfield. I live in Prestbury and personally am not happy about any building on the green belt.”
Dr Simon Hyde, King’s School headteacher, said: “The school welcomes the Town Council’s support for its relocation to Derby Fields and the development of Westminster Road for housing. We are disappointed it objected to Fence Avenue. Macclesfield needs to develop and grow if our town centre is to be regenerated.”
The deadline for comments on the applications is Sunday, January 24.