FAQs

The site is located on land at Prestbury Road, immediately adjacent to the northern edge of the existing Macclesfield settlement boundary.

To the north/north west (and outside of the site boundary) is an area of woodland - Upton Wood - and beyond this lies Upton Hall set within predominantly open agricultural land. The River Bollin runs through the Macclesfield Riverside Park Local Nature Reserve just beyond the site’s north-eastern boundary. Residential properties are located to the south and east.

The site comprises c.16 hectares of mostly open arable land with occasional trees and tree belts. 

A Reserved Matters Planning Application has now been submitted to Cheshire East Council. This sets out the detail of the scheme now that the principle of development has been established through the outline planning consent.

Outline planning permission was granted by the Planning Inspector at Appeal in August 2026. This decision established that the principle of residential development was acceptable on the site.

 The Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy 2010 – 2030 planned for 4,250 new homes to be delivered in Macclesfield (including allocated and non-allocated sites). However, despite being almost 15 years through the 20-year plan period, only 2,261 new homes have been delivered in Macclesfield (as of 31st March 2024). This under-delivery does not reflect a reduction in need, but has occurred as a result of the slow rate at which land allocated for housing has received planning permission and progressed to construction.

Similarly, the Government has recently introduced changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which is integral to its ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes within the five-year Parliamentary term. The changes re-introduce mandatory housing requirements and change the ‘standard method’ for calculating housing need. This change results in a significant increase to Cheshire East’s local housing need compared to the previous method.

During the design process, different options for the long-term ownership and maintenance of the landscaped buffer between existing and proposed properties were considered, including the potential transfer of land to neighbouring residents. Following further review, it was concluded that this approach would not provide a practical or consistent long-term management solution for legal, planning and operational reasons. The buffer forms part of a wider landscape strategy for the development and is intended to be managed as a coordinated area to ensure its appearance, maintenance and function are maintained over time in accordance with the outline planning permission requirements and protected by a robust restrictive covenant regime. The reserved matters proposals therefore retain the buffer as part of the development's landscaping framework, ensuring a clear and consistent approach to its future management while continuing to provide separation and screening between existing and proposed homes.