Plans for care home on Lidl site

Plans have been submitted for a care home at the old Royal Sun Alliance site on Park Lane, Macclesfield

Permission had been previously granted for a Lidl store on the site.

Torsion Care Ltd has applied to build a 74-bed home, together with 25 parking spaces, on what had originally been the Progress Mill off Parsonage Street.

The 1.16 acre site, part of the Park Green conservation area, is currently derelict following the demolition of The Towers and a series of smaller light industrial units. Cheshire East granted permission for the Lidl store in 2018 but it was never built.

A planning statement submitted by Enabl on behalf of the applicant for the latest application states: “The proposed building will operate as a care home providing supported living for the elderly.”

The community spaces and facilities will include three main dining lounges – one per floor; a salon; family room; garden lounge; two quiet lounges; gallery café; wellness suite; activity lounge and sports lounge.

The planning document states: “The range of facilities are provided to support the sense of community within the development and provide valued stimulus for residents.

“The communal elements are to be entirely ancillary to the main accommodation and principle of use on the site and are not for the use of members of the public, apart from those direct visitors of residents within the facility as part of that shared experience.”

Access to the site will be off Parsonage Street. A new lay-by will be introduced to allow for convenient servicing and ambulance access.

The bedrooms will be spread over three floors connected by two lifts and three stair cores.

The application, number 24/0999M, can be viewed on the planning portal on the Cheshire East Council website.

The closing date for comments is May 15 and the application is due to be determined by the northern planning committee on June 26, according to the council’s website.