A development of up to 1,100 houses, businesses, shops and a possible school in Nantwich has been approved by Cheshire East Council.
The plan is for land at Kingsley Fields and was put forward by the North West Nantwich Consortium, including Reaseheath College and Mosaic Estates.
It was earmarked as the preferred major housing development for the town in the new Cheshire East Local Plan.
And today (February 5), members of the Strategic Planning Board approved the application.
It will include allotments, open spaces, cycleways, access road, and landscaping on 58 hectares of open farmland bound by the A51, Welshman’s Lane, Nantwich Town FC and the River Weaver.
The development will also allow the college to invest money in existing facilities and improve its popular campus.
Reaseheath College principal Meredydd David told Nantwichnews: “I am delighted at the excellent news that Kingsley Fields North, the strategic urban extension to Nantwich, was approved subject to the final detail being agreed with planning officers.
“This is superb news for Reaseheath in that this will now provide us with the opportunity to continue to invest in our Master Plan to ensure staff and students have the best resources and facilities possible.
“We will now work towards finalising the prioritisation of this investment over the next five years or so.”
Forty letters were received from local residents and interested parties, 17 objecting, 19 in support, and the remainder make general observations on the proposal.
Some organisations raised “concerns” and called for amendments to the plans.
One of the biggest concerns was traffic impact, and developers will be making contributions to improving the road network around Nantwich.
This could include as much as £1.3 million to improve Burford Crossroads, with the re-alignment of Chester Road away from the junction.
Another major concern is availability of school places.
With most primary schools already full, developers may be required to fund a new £2.3 million school on the development, as well as more than £1 million to help accommodate the extra secondary school age pupils.
Neville Imby is being slightly disingenuous when he says:
‘… the pressure on Stapeley is now well and truly off.’
A Public Inquiry is starting next Tuesday 18th February into Muller’s appeals against Cheshire East Council’s refusal of their 2 planning applications in Stapeley. If you want to be there from the start, you need to be at Municipal Buildings in Crewe for 9.30am (proceedings officially commence at 10am).
So the pressure is STILL 100% on Stapeley. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by Mr Imby’s comments. I would encourage as many people as possible to attend the Inquiry, it is only scheduled to last 4 days.
There is no such person as Neville Imby, it’s a pseudonym.
Whoever he really is, I would be interested to know what his definition of ‘proper planning’ is…
I am astonished at the comments posted here. Where was the organised opposition to Kingsley Fields if ‘everyone … in Nantwich feels the same way’? All of 17 letters of objection? Why didn’t anyone try a bit harder to stop it? Any show of opposition now that outline permission has been granted is futile. The most you can do is to scrutinise Reserved Matters applications as they come in and make sure that the scheme is well-designed and built.
‘Protect Staplely’ has been very effective in persuading CEC that further development southeast of the town would be a bad idea and they certainly convinced Mr. Timpson, who speaks out against expansion in this quarter at every opportunity. But, because Kingsley Fields is outside his constituency boundary, we haven’t heard a murmur from him about it (let alone from Mr. O’Brien), although it will, as people point out here, have a potentially much greater detrimental impact on the town as a whole. I’m sure the PS team are delighted because the pressure on Stapeley is now well and truly off.
And of course, the result of all the publicity generated by ‘Protect Stapeley’ was that recommending and subsequently granting permission for Kingsley Fields must have seemed like a no-brainer for planners and councillors alike. Anything for a quiet life. And who cares about
proper planning…?
I reiterate, a blatant attempt at kidology from Neville Imby (Initials NIMBY, ha ha) below.
Make no mistake, the pressure on Stapeley is still well and truly ON. Anyone telling you otherwise is well and truly leading readers of Nantwich News a merry dance…
Can’t all us like minded people try and do something about this? Everyone I speak to in nantwich feels the same way. We have had enough and once Nantwich is ruined there is no going back. The town we love will be gone forever. What about some sort of protest either outside Reaseheath College, or on the planned site. I don’t know what would make our council stand up to the developers but someone should take some sort of action to show the strength of feeling in the town. Unfortunately I am very much a follower not a leader but if anyone would pick up the baton I would turn up to any protest and I know others who would.
WELL SAID WORDSWORTH, Totally agree with your comments, CEC planning department obviously are still on their milk teeth and afraid to bite!, they are as about useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to listening to public comments and their actions are more as if they are working for the developers than the people they were supposed to represent.
Bring back the old Crewe and Nantwich planning committee at least the had some respect for the town and its residents!!!
RIP NANTWICH WE MISS WHAT YOU WERE!!!!!
WHAT A CARRY ON
The Council tells us that they can do nothing about it
Well in my opinion we’d be better without it
How can a body destroy our town?
And pander to the important, and let the rest down
They give the developer a totally free hand
To run roughshod over our lives and land
But we the electorate don’t have a say
We only matter on Polling Day
They fall over backwards to encourage these schemes
The sizeable grants are too great it seems
Is the development good enough for consent
OR, is it bad enough for Nantwich – what contempt
How dare they impose on us this onslaught
They approve these schemes, with no vision or forethought
What of the capacity of surgeries and schools
This bunch in power are taking us for fools
So, go to a Planning Panto in Macclesfield or Crewe
You’ll see how they consider me and you
If it wasn’t so tragic, it would be a good laugh
Like a rehearsal for some well known films – what a farce!!
I cant believe this plan has gone through , money grabbing the lot of them , building a new primary school … what about car parks in the town or a bigger doctors introducing 1,100 thats possibly 2,200 cars 3+ people per home and no room already … Nantwich where will can build where ever its still green CHESHIRE EAST
I cannot believe this will go ahead. It may not be used land but at least it has a pleasant outlook!! To look across the river and see 1,100 matchbox homes is a tragedy! May they all become rat Infested like the new Stapeley ones have!! Shame on you Cheshire East!!
I totally agree. The developers and Cheshire East seem hellbent on destroying Nantwich and getting rid of all it’s character and green spaces. It’s too depressing for words. The infrastructure of the town is already massively overloaded.
And no one seems to be able to do anything about it.