Cheshire East Council’s Cabinet has approved a revised masterplan to develop Alderley Park as a key life sciences business cluster.
The Alderley Park Development Framework sets out a vision for transforming the site following the withdrawal of previous owner AstraZeneca.
Cheshire East Council took a 10 per cent stake in the 400-acre site when it was acquired last year by a consortium led by Manchester Science Partnerships.
When the development framework went out to six weeks of public consultation earlier this year, there was support for the site to focus on life sciences and for increased public access.
There were mixed views about new housing, some of which is likely to be necessary to support the viability of the park as a site for life science employers.
And there was concern about the potential impact on heritage, nature and local services including highways.
The main changes to the development framework are:
- Mereside car park is no longer considered as possibly suitable for housing because the planning permission was temporary and has expired;
- Because of representations received, the area next to Congleton Road, south of the main cricket pitch, is also no longer suggested as suitable for housing;
- The text of the framework has been changed to make it clear that any housing proposals which would normally be ruled out on green belt grounds would have to demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’;
- More emphasis has been placed on design quality and the historic parkland setting.
Cabinet has approved the revised framework, which will be a material consideration when future planning applications on the site are determined. It also agreed to formally withdraw the now outdated Alderley Park Planning Brief of 1999.
Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “I would like to pay homage to the management of AstraZeneca. They have worked with us and kept their word.
“This Council had seen the potential for closure the year before. Being prepared with a stitch in time was key and that is the real success here.”
Councillor Don Stockton, Cabinet member for regeneration and assets, told the meeting that the changes would meet concerns about the visibility of new housing from the A34.
Councillor David Brown, the Council’s Deputy Leader, said it ‘only seemed like yesterday’ when AstraZeneca announced plans to pull out with the loss of 3,500 jobs.
He added: “It seemed like a disaster but now the situation has been successfully turned around. There are 121 different companies there, £1.1m from the Regional Growth Fund is being invested and Bruntwood and Manchester Science Partnerships are looking at investing £30m to develop 7,500 jobs.”
Councillor Les Gilbert, whose remit includes the visitor economy, told Cabinet: “There is a need for a hotel on the site to support the international standard conference centre. I hope the hotel industry will see the potential and come and talk to us about it.”
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