Five-year action plan to
COUNCIL chiefs have launched a new masterplan to transform the town centre.
A new ‘collaborative board’ is to be set up to drive through ambitious plans that would see key developments across the centre of the town. These include:
The development of the area around Macclesfield train station.
The building of a new hotel and creation of a wi-fi in the town centre.
120 new homes to be created on the former site of Macclesfield magistrates court.
An opening date has also been revealed for a new £20m town centre cinema with the first films expected to be shown from spring 2019.
The new strategy has been hailed as ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’ by Macclesfield MP David Rutley.
It has been outlined in a new document, ‘ There’s no Place like Macclesfield: A five year Vision, Strategy and Action Plan for the revitalisation of Macclesfield’.
Its stated aim is to make the town a ‘highly desirable place to live, work and visit’.
It also renews focus on existing projects such as the £15m Grosvenor Centre expansion.
There will also be a renewed focus on the town’s heritage, including the museums, Old Police Station and Butter Market.
But the strategy also identifies new projects such a developing the ‘gateway’ around the railway station and a new town centre hotel.
There is an additional £400,000 to improve the ‘public realm’ particularly the main shopping area, feature lighting in town centre trees, wifi and digital displays.
Proposals also including spending up to £3m on a ‘town centre information and communication package.’
To achieve these ambi- tions Cheshire East Council is to form a ‘collaboration board’ involving key stakeholders such as Ask, Eskmuir Securities, which owns the Grosvenor Centre, Peaks and Plains, Silk Heritage Trust and Macclesfield Town Council.
It will also launch a public consultation on the proposals in October and adopt it in January.
Councillor Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: “Macclesfield is a great place to live and there are already exciting plans for the development of the town centre in progress. However, as more and more of us turn to online retailing, it’s vital that the council continues to do what it can to support the town centre at a time of transition. I fully support the principle of setting out our continued commitment to the revitalisation of Macclesfield town centre over the next five years and look forward to seeing the draft strategy document developed into a firm plan.”
The draft strategy can be found on the Cheshire East Council website.