Officers back demolishing 44 Bollington bungalows for 77 affordable homes, despite the town council's objection. Councillors decide on 30 September.
Cheshire East planning officers have recommended approving the demolition of 44 social-rent bungalows in Bollington. They would be replaced with 77 affordable homes.
Councillors on the Northern Planning Committee will decide the application on Wednesday 30 September. The meeting starts at 10.30am in the Capesthorne Room at Macclesfield Town Hall. (Agenda, Cheshire East Council)
The applicant is Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, which owns the bungalows off Crossfield Road and Kent Avenue in Bollington Cross. The reference is 25/4697/FUL.
The officers’ report recommends approval subject to a Section 106 legal agreement and conditions. That is despite 79 letters from residents and a formal objection from Bollington Town Council. (Committee report, Cheshire East Council)
What would be built
The 44 existing homes are all one-bedroom bungalows let at social rent. The report says all but one are now empty.
The new scheme would have:
- 35 two-storey houses
- 9 single-storey bungalows
- 33 apartments in a three-storey block
- 77 homes in total, a net gain of 33
Every home would be affordable and would stay with Peaks and Plains. The report sets out the split:
| Type | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Over-55s (the apartments and bungalows) | 42 | 54.5% |
| Social rent | 23 | 30% |
| Shared ownership | 12 | 15.5% |
The report says all the homes would meet national space standards. It says 23% would meet the higher M4(3) wheelchair standard.
Why the bungalows are coming down
The trust commissioned a structural survey in 2024. According to the report, it found age-related deterioration made worse by defects in the original construction. The trust says the buildings are approaching the end of their reasonable lifespan without major work, and officers accepted those findings.
Peaks and Plains’ board took the decision to redevelop in July 2024. The trust’s own project page, updated on 25 September, says it has helped 27 residents move into new homes so far. (Peaks and Plains Housing Trust)
Why the town council objects
Bollington Town Council made five separate objections, summarised in the report. Its main points are:
- Older people’s housing. The town’s neighbourhood plan calls for smaller homes for an ageing population. The council says the scheme removes 44 bungalows mostly occupied by older residents and puts family housing in their place.
- Age profile. It cites census figures showing residents aged 65 and over rose from 18% to 23% of the town between 2011 and 2021.
- Flooding. It says the drainage strategy does not show that surface water will be managed across the whole site.
- Buses. It says future residents would face a walk of about 600 metres uphill to reach the bus route.
- Wildlife. It says the ecology assessment shows a 48.7% loss in biodiversity, and that refurbishing the bungalows would do less harm than demolition.
Residents’ letters raise many of the same points. They also cite parking, pressure on GPs and schools, loss of privacy where two-storey homes replace bungalows, and the stress of relocation for current tenants.
What the officers say
No statutory consultee objected. United Utilities, the flood risk team, highways, environmental health and education all raised no objection, subject to conditions or a legal agreement. The NHS did not respond.
The council’s own Greenspace team did object. The site includes protected open space, and officers accept the scheme conflicts with open space policy because the land is not being replaced with equal or better provision.
Officers still recommend approval. They give substantial weight to the need for affordable homes and housing for older and disabled people.
On the other points, the report finds:
- Wildlife. The applicant’s biodiversity metric shows a net loss of 1.83 units, or 43.78%. A 10% gain would have to be delivered off site, secured by condition.
- Trees. Several Category B trees would be felled. The best tree on the site, a Category A tree, would be kept, and 76 new trees planted.
- Parking. The apartments would have 28 spaces, seven below the council’s standard. Officers accepted census car-ownership data that suggests fewer are needed.
- Flooding. The site is in Flood Zone 1, the lowest-risk category, and drainage would be held to greenfield run-off rates.
The money
The council’s Greenspace officers calculated that up to £220,496.43 would be needed to make up for the lost open space. The report says that sum would make the scheme unviable, so it is not being sought.
Officers do want other payments through the Section 106 agreement:
- up to £194,154.73 for amenity green space
- up to £103,381.09 for public open space and play, which could go to Bollington Cross play area
- up to £61,776.44 for green infrastructure links
- up to £30,888.05 for allotments or community gardening in Bollington
- £85,031 towards special educational needs places
The report says more than 47% of Cheshire East’s pupils with special educational needs are currently educated outside the borough.
What it means for you
- You can still speak at the meeting. Residents, the town council and ward councillors get a fixed slot. Register by emailing Speakingatplanning@cheshireeast.gov.uk. Objectors, supporters and the applicant each get three minutes.
- You can watch it. The meeting will be webcast, with the link on the agenda page on the day. Seats in the room go to registered speakers first.
- If you are a current tenant, the trust says its neighbourhood officer is managing moves one by one. Its page lists home loss and disturbance payments.
- If approved, the decision still waits on the Section 106 agreement being signed.
The same committee will also consider plans to refurbish Granthams at 68 Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge, and build two houses behind it (25/3960/FUL). Officers recommend approval. Ward councillor Craig Browne called it in, citing overdevelopment and parking. (Committee report)
We will report the decisions after the meeting. For other schemes in the area, see our Macclesfield planning news page.
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