Frequently asked questions

Moor Lane is an emerging proposal for a new residential neighbourhood on the western edge of Wilmslow, with new homes set within orchards, meadows, edible planting and walking routes. The design approach is inspired by local farmsteads and rural building forms.

Yes. Wilmslow, like other communities in the North West and nationally, suffers from a chronic shortage of homes across all price ranges. Helping to tackle the current shortage of affordable homes is central to this scheme. The project team is working closely with planning officers and planning authority to ensure the that the project delivers affordable housing on-site in line with national policy.

The site is promoted as a logical extension to Wilmslow because it sits alongside the existing settlement edge, near local services, and within a wider area where future growth is already part of the planning conversation. The site lends itself to a strong landscape led design that will ensure sustainable appeal and contribute socially and economically to the existing neighbourhood, achieving a net balance of benefits to offset the harms that may arise from development.

The site sits within the Green Belt, where residential development would ordinarily be inappropriate in principle.  However, there are certain circumstances where residential development in the Green Belt is “not inappropriate” in principle, including where a site constitutes “Grey Belt”. Green Belt is intended to serve several purposes, including:Preventing large built-up areas from sprawling outwards;Stopping neighbouring towns from merging into one another; and,Protecting the setting and special character of historic towns. National planning policy (NPPF) now recognises that not all Green Belt land serves these purposes equally. Where a site does little to support them, it can be identified as "Grey Belt" — land considered well suited to helping meet local housing needs.  Assessed against the three purposes above, the Moor Lane site does not contribute strongly to any of them, specifically: Preventing sprawl: in recent years, dozens of new homes have been built close by on what was open Green Belt, and the land immediately to the west at Cumber Lane has been safeguarded for future development. The built-up edge has effectively moved outwards, so the site now sits against the existing settlement rather than in open countryside, and no longer checks sprawl in any meaningful way.Merging of towns: Wilmslow's nearest separate settlement in this direction is the village of Mobberley, over 4km away across a broad band of open countryside that the site forms no critical part of. A 2015 review of the wider area accordingly found the site makes no real contribution to keeping settlements apart, and development here would not bring Wilmslow and Mobberley any closer to merging. Character of historic towns: this purpose safeguards the setting and special character of historic towns, and there is no historic town whose setting or character the site helps to protect. Lying on an ordinary, partly developed settlement edge, it plays no role here — as the same 2015 review confirmed. The site therefore meets the definition of Grey Belt and is well placed to help meet the real and growing need for new homes, including affordable homes, in Cheshire East. The site lies close to Wilmslow town centre and its everyday services, and early work on ecology, drainage and transport is shaping proposals that respect its landscape setting and its relationship with the nearby Lindow Moss.

The scheme has been carefully developed to respond positively to Lindow Moss to the north, and to the wider landscape. The plans include a significant landscape buffer at the northern edge, to soften the relationship between the development and the Moss. The dwellings have been sensitively designed, taking cues from the existing style and vernacular of Wilmslow, to assimilate well into their immediate surrounds and the scheme incorporates significant levels of planting, as well as the retention of mature trees and hedges.

73 of the 75 trees, and all hedgerows, are proposed to be retained and incorporated into the scheme. The two trees that are to be removed are classified as Grade U, and are considered to be in such poor condition that they are unsuitable for long-term retention.

The planning application will be supported by a suite of technical documents (and a full team of expert consultants has been appointed to prepare them), in relation to a number of detailed matters – such as highways, flood risk and drainage, peat, noise and air quality, ecology and trees. Based on the work done so far, there are no significant technical constraints that will restrict development on this site.

Two new vehicular access would be provided off Moor Lane – one to allow access to the western area of the site, and one for the east. The internal road layout includes a number of shared surfaces as well as a continuous pedestrian footpath connecting the east and west site, and providing pedestrian access to the byway on Rotherwood Road.

Yes, it would. As well as the internal continuous footpath allowing pedestrian interconnectivity to Rotherwood Road and connecting the east and west parts of the development, the proposal also incorporates a 2m wide pedestrian pavement onto areas of Moor Lane that currently have no pavement. These works will improve the safety of existing walking routes and are a genuine benefit to the wider community.

This is a landscape-led design and so open spaces, publicly accessible are at the heart of the proposed scheme. Responding with the semi-rural setting, the designs offer a communal meadow, edible gardens, natural play and smaller green spaces distributed through the development. These are in addition to the extensive Public Open Space (POS) that also creates a sustainable buffer to protect the Moss.

The homes are being designed around strong energy performance. The application is backed up with detailed reports confirming how the scheme will deliver on its potential including high levels of insulation, efficient layouts and the potential use of renewable technologies such as solar panels. The homes are anticipated to target a high EPC rating.

This stage of consultation is intended to gather feedback. And remember, planning applications remain work in progress even after their initial submission. Residents, local groups and other stakeholders are being actively invited to review the emerging plans and share their views so the design team can consider them as the proposals evolve.