New look Council asked ‘show your mettle!’

Local residents are calling on newly appointed Councillors to challenge a serious parking shortfall in the major housing plans for Cumberland Street.

Cheshire East Council (CEC) has minimum standards for housing developments for car ownership, visitors and deliveries – vital to prevent parking overflow into already congested town centre streets. But developers have failed to meet these when submitting plans for the King’s School historic site. 

Says Pownall Street resident James Meecham, speaking on behalf of concerned locals: ‘Why does Hillcrest Homes propose to build apartments and homes with a huge 39 per cent shortfall in parking compared to the Council’s own minimum standards? It’s time for change and democracy to win through so we’re calling on new political leadership at Cheshire East to stand up for the communities they’re supposed to serve!’ 

Residents fail to see why the developer submitted this plan despite many months of discussion with Council officers, especially given the history of the area being badly congested and plagued by parking problems. Hillcrest Homes’ proposal includes 42 apartments to be marketed for people aged 55 and above – they want planning permission for both general and sheltered housing for these, but are offering just 15 spaces instead of the required minimum of 71! And only 31 spaces have been allocated for 29 general apartments in the old school block, not the minimum of 52. 

Explains James: ‘These figures imagine each household in apartments for people age 55 and above will own just one third of a car – and that’s before any visitors, workmen or deliveries! For all the apartments, these people and their visitors will simply finish up using the surrounding streets as an overflow car park.

‘The bottom line is the developer is trying to cram too many dwellings in, with plans exceeding the Council’s current commitment regarding the permitted density of these types of housing development.’

Hillcrest Homes has mooted a car club to support the town’s long-term goal of decreased reliance on cars but this is not the answer says James: ‘Town centre living can reduce car usage but for many people it’s simply not practical to abandon car ownership – even if they wanted to – with Macclesfield’s location on the edge of countryside and people having out of town jobs miles away from a railway station.’ 

Cheshire  East Council’s Highways department has yet to comment on the latest plans from Hillcrest Homes. Residents have a Facebook page exploring concerns about the impact of this (planning application 19/1068M) and associated housing proposals – Redevelopment of King’s Macc Historic Site.