Prestbury Lane, Prestbury
Welcome to this public consultation
We welcome you to Anwyl Homes’ online public consultation for proposals on Land at Prestbury Lane, Prestbury (‘the Site’).
Asteer Planning is currently preparing a full planning application on behalf of Anwyl Homes for a residential development of circa 45 new family homes together with vehicular access, public open space and associated infrastructure works. The scheme will include a mix of both open market homes and affordable homes.
We are undertaking a period of public consultation on the emerging draft proposals so that the local community has an opportunity to engage in the process prior to a formal planning application being submitted to Cheshire East Council. We will also be engaging with the local Ward Councillor and the Prestbury Parish Council over the next few weeks.
All comments received will be taken into consideration by the project team and will be used to inform the planning application before it is formally submitted later in the year. Once a planning application is submitted, the Council will notify surrounding residents as part of its own statutory consultation process. You will then have a further opportunity to submit comments on the proposals directly to the Council.
The consultation period is open until 14th November 2025 and we would be grateful for your views.
Where is the Site?
As shown in image 1 below the Site is located to the south of Prestbury Lane, on the eastern edge of Prestbury village. It extends to 1.86 hectares in area and is currently agricultural land. Also within the Site boundary is a strip of land adjacent to Lowfields (shown in blue) which will be used to create a new public footpath link to the south west.
Site Location Plan
The Site is sustainably located to accommodate local housing needs. It is located approximately 1km north east of Prestbury Village and is within walking distance of a number of amenities and services such as Prestbury train station, the Post Office, bus stops, Prestbury Village Hall, Primary School, local stores, coffee shops and public houses. Image 2 below shows the Site in the context of local services, amenities and facilities.
Sustainability Plan
About Anwyl
Anwyl Homes are a proud family builder in their 4th generation. Beginning in 1930s as a joinery and woodworking contractor, but with over nine decades of success, Anwyl Homes operates out of two divisions, Anwyl Homes Cheshire & North Wales and Anwyl Homes Lancashire. Anwyl Homes pride themselves on building high quality family homes and delivering a positive customer experience, demonstrated by their Trust Pilot rating of 4.7.
What is proposed?
Developing the proposals
In developing the scheme proposals, a series of technical assessments have been undertaken to understand the constraints and opportunities at the Site. Anwyl Homes has also engaged with Cheshire East Officers as part of formal pre-application discussions.
As shown on the constraints and opportunities plan at image 4 below, key considerations and design drivers have included:
Topography – The proposals seek to work with the existing topography, which falls from the south west to the north along Prestbury Lane, to integrate the new homes into the surrounding built form.
Landscape-Led Approach – The boundary of the site is demarcated by established trees and hedgerows. These will be retained and protected where practicable with new planting introduced as part of the proposed scheme.
Pedestrian and Cycle Permeability – There is currently no Public Right of Way (‘PRoW’) within the Site. The proposals provide an opportunity to enhance the permeability of the Site with the wider area through the creation of internal footpaths/ cycleways and connections to existing PRoWs in the vicinity – namely FP34 to the south west (beyond Lowfields, on Heybridge Lane).
Existing Power Lines – Overhead powers lines are present to the north east of the Site. These will be retained and the area immediately around them safeguarded from development.
Ecology and Biodiversity - The Site is not located within a national or locally designated nature conservation area. Ecology surveys have been undertaken to understand the baseline condition of the Site and to inform the emerging scheme proposals. To the centre of the Site is an existing pond. This is in a poor condition and will need to be relocated to facilitate the proposed scheme. A Biodiversity Net Gain (‘BNG’) of at least 10% from the pre-development baseline will be secured by the proposals.
Flood Risk – According to Environment Agency mapping the Site is situated within Flood Zone 1 and is considered to be at low risk from flooding from rivers and sea. There is however, a small area of surface water flood risk within the Site which will be mitigated as part of the wider surface water drainage strategy. This will be fully set out within the accompanying Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy to be submitted with the planning application and will follow the Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) hierarchy. Measures to be implemented on site could include attenuation features, such as a basin, and permeable paving on private drives. Attenuation basins also have the benefit of enhancing biodiversity.
Residential Amenity – The Site is surrounded by residential properties to the east, west and south. Maintaining the amenity of existing residential properties surrounding the scheme is a key consideration. The proposed scheme will ensure that policy compliant separation distance of at least 21m back-to-back is achieved throughout the development.
Constraints and Opportunities Plan
The Proposed Development
The Illustrative Concept Plan at Image 5 below has been prepared by Anwyl Homes to show how the site could be developed in the future. The design is evolving and the final detailed proposals will be informed by comments received during this consultation and engagement with other key stakeholders including the ward member and the Parish Council.
Illustrative Concept Plan
New Homes
It is envisaged that approximately 45 new homes can be brought forward at the Site which would equate to a density of 34.6 dwellings per hectare based on a developable area of 1.3 hectares.
A mix of houses sizes potentially ranging from 1-4 bedrooms are proposed which would contribute to the creation of a vibrant new community that addresses local need. Within this housing mix, properties will include mews, semi-detached and detached properties. It is proposed that larger detached properties will front onto Prestbury Lane to enhance the sense of place.
The scale of the proposed development will be reflective of the local area, which predominantly comprises 2- and 2.5-storey properties.
Affordable Housing
The Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy requires that all residential development on sites of over 15 dwellings provide at least 30% affordable housing provision. The proposed scheme will be policy compliant, providing 30% of all residential homes as affordable. The proposed size and tenure is still to be determined and agreed with Council Officers however, the approach to be progressed at the Site will be presented in the Affordable Housing Statement to be submitted with the planning application.
Access
Vehicular access to the Site will be created off Prestbury Lane to the north as shown on the Illustrative Concept Plan. Detailed access arrangements plan will be provided in the planning application prepared by Anwyl Homes’s highway consultant.
In terms of internal layout, a new tree lined boulevard is proposed which will act as the spine through the development.
In addition to the new vehicular access and internal road arrangements, new pedestrian and cycle links are proposed both within and adjoining the Site. A key element of this will be the creation of a new public footpath connection to the south west of the Site. To facilitate this, Anwyl Homes has purchased a residential property known as Lowfields on Heybridge Lane as shown edged blue on the Illustrative Concept Plan. A footpath is proposed which will link into footpath ref. Prestbury FP34 leading to Prestbury village centre to the west. Improvements will also be made to the surfacing of the existing footpath up to Heybridge Lane. The image below shows the current footpath:
Existing Footpath looking toward Heybridge Lane
Car Parking
The car parking requirements for the Site has been developed in accordance with the Council’s adopted parking standards. In addition, each home will have its own Electric Vehicle Charging Point and secure cycle storage will also be provided with each house.
Open Space
An area of high quality open space is proposed to the north of the Site around the new access off Prestbury Lane. The open space will be made accessible for public use and will include dedicated children’s play space, informal trim trail, landscape planting and an attenuation basin (which will be fenced for safety).
Sustainable Urban Drainage
Sustainable drainage measures will be introduced to ensure that the development is made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. Following the SuDS hierarchy it is proposed that a new surface water attenuation basin is created to the north of the Site which will ultimately connect into an existing watercourse.
Energy and Sustainability
The vision for the Site is to deliver high quality environmentally friendly new homes in a sustainable location on the edge of Prestbury. The following energy efficient design measures are proposed:
Fabric first approach to reducing the energy requirements of new homes including high levels of thermal insulation and air tightness
Use of suitable renewable energy sources, including solar photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps, to reduce running costs and use of fossil fuels.
100% electric heating
100% low energy light throughout
Provision of Electric Vehicle Charging for each dwelling
What would the likely impacts be on Local Infrastructure?
The provision of adequate leisure, community and cultural infrastructure is essential to the creation of sustainable communities. It is understood that the provision of new housing within the area could increase demand for facilities within Prestbury.
When a planning application is submitted, the Council will seek responses from statutory bodies (such as the Education Authority and the NHS) who will set out what site-specific mitigation might be required and why. Anwyl will then, where necessary, enter into a Section 106 agreement with the Council where contributions are sought to mitigate the impact of the proposed development. The community can therefore be assured that this development will address any potential impact it has on local infrastructure.
How will we limit disruption on local people during development?
The Council can control how the scheme is delivered by way of a planning condition imposed on any planning permission granted. This usually takes the form of a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) which regulates delivery and construction times so as to minimise (and potentially avoid) disturbance to local residents.
Why is Development being proposed now?
In response to the ongoing national housing crisis which has resulted in an acute need for more homes across the country, the Government published a revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework (‘NPPF’) in December 2024. This included ambitious new housebuilding targets and a modernised Green Belt policy, alongside a wider set of changes designed to boost the supply of land and better meet community needs.
The NPPF established a new standard method for assessing housing needs. In Cheshire East this has identified a need to deliver 2,603 new homes per annum. Based on these figures, the Council cannot currently demonstrate a 5 year’s supply of deliverable housing land as required by national planning policy and therefore the so-called ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ in now engaged. This proposed planning application is being progressed in full detail by an established housebuilder and will make a positive contribution to Cheshire East Council’s housing numbers, actively addressing local needs.
In December 2022, Cheshire East Council removed Land at Prestbury Lane from the Green Belt and identified it as ‘Safeguarded Land’ under policy PG11 of the Site Allocations and Development Policies Document suitable for residential development in the future (ref. PRE 1).
Cheshire East Council Proposals Map Extract
The Site has already been considered by the Council and an independent Inspector through the examination of the Site Allocations and Development Policies Document. On this basis the Site represents an excellent location for new housing to meet identified needs in a sustainable location.
What are the scheme benefits?
Economic Benefits
The following economic benefits could be generated by the proposed development:
The construction of the proposed development would contribute to generating full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs within the construction industry over the build period, supporting the local supply chain where possible.
Future residents will generate additional expenditure within the local economy supporting local businesses and services.
The affordable homes proposed will provide lower income households who work locally an opportunity to secure affordable accommodation.
Final contributions will be paid to the Council through a legal agreement where considered necessary in line with adopted Local Plan policy.
The Site is located within CIL charging zone 3 meaning the development will be subject to a fee of £71 per sqm contribution for community infrastructure locally.
Increased Council Tax revenues will be generated by the proposals.
Social Benefits
The following social benefits could be generated by the proposed development:
Creation of new high-quality open space, including play space and trim trails, for use by existing and future residents on land that currently has no formal access for the local community.
Enhancing connectivity between the Site and the surrounding area including Prestbury village and to footpaths to the north of Prestbury Lane.
Improving the existing footpath to the south west of the Site through re-surfacing.
Contribution towards Cheshire East Council’s deliverable 5 year housing land supply, meeting an identified need for a mix of market and affordable homes, within the settlement boundary of Prestbury.
Environmental Benefits
The following environmental benefits could be generated by the proposed development:
By taking a fabric first approach to reducing the energy requirements of new homes and incorporating renewable energy sources the proposed development will be highly sustainable, exceeding Building Regulations.
Each home will have its own Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVC) installed as well as secure cycle parking provision to help reduce reliance on private motor vehicles.
Delivery of 10% BNG through the proposed development to be secured by a Habitats Management and Maintenance Plan for a period of 30 years.
Retention of existing hedgerow and trees, where practicable, and planting of additional native species within the landscape.
What Happens Next?
Thank you for taking time to visit our consultation website today.
While our plans are still taking shape and before we submit a planning application to the Council, we want to understand your views on our vision. Comments received will be used to inform and refine the full planning application before it is submitted to Cheshire East Council.
Your views are important to us and we would be grateful if you could provide feedback by filling out the online questionnaire. The project team can also be contacted by email or in writing using the below address:
Complete
The online feedback form
Prestbury Lane Consultation, Asteer Planning, 53-55 Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HQ
Following the conclusion of the community consultation exercise, Anwyl Homes will review all comments in order to produce an enhanced scheme which can provide further community benefit. Responses to the comments received will be set out in the Statement of Community Involvement.
Following validation of the planning application, the Council will commence with its statutory 21 day consultation where local residents, businesses and other consultees will have an additional opportunity to comment on the proposals.
Anwyl Homes is aiming to submit a full planning application later in 2025.