Redrow has secured land for around 1,250 new homes across two different locations in Cheshire, including a 63.5-acre site in Congleton
The acquisition includes the site in Congleton for homes, a primary school and local shops, plus completion of a series of land deals that secures 120 acres for circa 800 new homes at the long-awaited Daresbury Garden Village, near Warrington.
The Congleton site lies adjacent to Giantswood Lane, but access to the development will be via a new entrance on Manchester Road.
There is outline planning consent from Cheshire East Council for up to 500 new homes alongside a new primary school and local shops.
Redrow is now preparing a reserved matters application for 452 homes from its Heritage Collection, including one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom houses.
They will include 79 affordable properties to be offered for sale at a discounted market value to meet local need.
Redrow’s acquisition of former farmland off Delph Lane, Daresbury, alongside the Bridgewater Canal, is the culmination of many years of work.
The site first gained outline consent for up to 850 new homes from Halton Borough Council in 2018 but land and planning negotiations, public consultation and developing the masterplan began several years earlier.
Work is due to begin on the south parcel later this month, including the creation of an improved junction where Delph Lane meets the A56 Chester Road between Warrington and the M56.
The north area will follow approximately six months later and involves the creation of a new junction from the A558.
The whole development is expected to take around 11 years to complete and homes will be interspersed with open spaces, green corridors and areas for formal and informal play.
During the course of development, Redrow will make community payments totalling £8.5m to Halton Council
Payments are earmarked for:
- Converting the A558 to a dual carriageway
- Off-site affordable housing elsewhere in the borough
- Support of existing bus routes and delivering a new bus link into the Daresbury Park business park.
- Improvements to Runcorn East railway station
- Structural landscaping and linear park creation within the wider area, including their maintenance, plus improvements to nearby Daresbury Firs.
- Creation of a pedestrian link under the West Coast Mainline and walking and cycling route connections to the site
- Contribution to the Bridgewater Way Initiative and funding towards alternative marina locations along the canal.
A major boost for Redrow
Jason Newton, managing director of Redrow North West, based at Daresbury Park, said: “Finalising these two land deals in quick succession is a major boost for Redrow and will see us delivering new homes in these two areas for many years to come.
“We hope to be selling homes off-plan at Daresbury from this summer and in Congleton by autumn 2022.
“A little over 37 acres is designated for residential development with the balance of the site taken up by the proposed school, shops, 12.5 acres of open space, including several areas for formal and informal play, plus an existing woodland that will be retained as a central feature.
“We’ll also be making contributions worth £10.75m to the community, including £3.2m for primary education, £6.85m towards a new link road and £300,000 of bus service improvements.”
