Kaleigh Watterson Cheshire political reporter
A proposed new town in Cheshire would include up to 40% affordable housing and the reopening of an historic hall, the developer behind the plan has said.
Adlington is one of 12 locations recently named as a potential site for a new town, which could have up to 20,000 homes.
Landowner Belport said the scheme would include commercial spaces, new schools and health centres, and the reopening of the grade I-listed Adlington Hall.
But there are some concerns in the area about the loss of green space and Macclesfield’s Labour MP Tim Roca has launched a petition against the scheme, claiming it would put huge pressure on local roads and schools.
The Adlington proposal was submitted by landowner Belport, which details plans for between 14,000 and 20,000 new homes in the area.
The New Towns Taskforce, an independent advisory panel commissioned by the government, named Adlington as one of 12 potential locations for development of a new town.
The sites will all be subject to environmental assessments, with the government confirming the final locations next spring.
Three sites – in Bedfordshire, London and Yorkshire – have been highlighted as the “most promising” by the government.
In an update to its website, the developer said up to 40% of the housing on site would be affordable, including shared ownership, social rent and homes for key workers.
The scheme would also include revamping the village’s railway station and local roads, as well as cycling and walking routes.
The developer said it was going to open up Adlington Hall and its gardens to the public and that the new town site would be about 40% green space or water.
Belport previously said a new community at Adlington would be “an opportunity to address housing pressure in the area”.
UK ParliamentSome local residents have raised concerns, with parish councils in the area saying they were “up in arms” about the plan, with their main issue being around the loss of green space.
Roca’s public petition, which he said would be formally presented in the House of Commons, said the development would “inflict irreversible harm” on the area and place “huge pressure” on local roads, schools and services.
The petition has received more than 2,600 signatures.
The government has previously said no final decisions on locations would be made until assessments of the sites were completed and that “preferred locations could change as a result of the process”.
“The government will be looking for assurance that any location can be effectively and efficiently delivered in partnership with local communities, has a clear economic purpose, and will support economic growth,” it said.
The has contacted the government for further comment.
