Councillors approved 77 affordable homes in place of Bollington's Crossfield Road bungalows, and the legal deal now requires 44 at social rent, not 23.
Councillors have approved plans to replace 44 bungalows off Crossfield Road and Kent Avenue in Bollington with 77 affordable homes.
The decision came at Cheshire East’s Northern Planning Committee on 30 September. The council published the minutes on 15 October, and they show a change from what officers proposed. The legal agreement attached to the permission now requires 44 of the homes to be let at social rent, and gives priority to existing and former residents for them. (Printed minutes, Cheshire East Council)
The officers’ report had set out 23 homes for social rent, 12 for shared ownership and 42 for the over-55s. (Committee report, Cheshire East Council)
The applicant is Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, which owns the site in Bollington Cross. The application reference is 25/4697/FUL.
What the committee added
The officers’ recommended legal agreement asked for 100% affordable housing, rents within Local Housing Allowance rates, and allocation rules agreed with the council’s housing team. It did not fix the number of social rent homes.
The approved version, as recorded in the minutes, keeps all of that and adds:
- 44 homes to be for social rent
- priority for existing and former residents of the site
- the over-55s homes to be secured as age-restricted
The 44 homes on the site now are all one-bedroom bungalows let at social rent, the report says. All but one are empty. So the number of social rent homes on the site stays at 44, rather than falling to 23.
The minutes do not record how councillors voted or who proposed the change.
The money
The legal agreement also secures these payments, due when building starts:
| Contribution | Amount |
|---|---|
| Amenity green space | £194,154.73 |
| Public open space and play | £103,381.09 |
| Green infrastructure links | £61,776.44 |
| Allotments | £30,888.05 |
| Special educational needs places | £85,031.00 |
| Outdoor sports | £1,681 per family home and £840.49 per bed space in the apartments |
The outdoor sports rate is higher than the £1,500 and £750 in the officers’ report. The minutes do not say why.
The permission comes with 31 conditions. They include a construction management plan, tree protection, drainage, bat mitigation, hedgehog measures and a biodiversity gain plan. Building must start within three years.
What the trust says
Peaks and Plains updated its project page on 16 October. Its chief executive, Mark Howden, said: “We welcome this decision, which allows us to deliver 77 much-needed affordable homes in Bollington. This development represents a significant investment in the community and will provide high-quality homes that local people can benefit from for generations to come.” (Peaks and Plains Housing Trust)
The trust says it has helped 27 residents move to new homes so far. It says it is still working with residents who have yet to move.
Bollington Town Council objected to the scheme. Its ward councillor, a town council representative and an objector all spoke at the meeting, the minutes record. The town council’s main concerns, set out in our preview of the decision, were the loss of bungalows for older people, flooding, the uphill walk to the bus route and the loss of wildlife habitat.
What it means for you
- If you lived in one of the bungalows, the agreement gives you priority for the new social rent homes. Ask the trust’s neighbourhood officer how that will work, because the allocation rules still have to be agreed with the council.
- If you live nearby, nothing starts straight away. The trust must first sign the legal agreement and clear the pre-commencement conditions, including the construction management plan.
- If you want to read the decision, the minutes and the officers’ report are on the committee page.
The same meeting also dealt with Granthams at 68 Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge (25/3960/FUL). A motion to refuse it on overdevelopment, parking and street scene grounds was not seconded. Councillors delegated it back to officers to approve, once it is shown that four usable parking spaces can be provided.
For other schemes in the area, see our Macclesfield planning news page.
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