A WIDELY renowned architect has come on board with Tatton Estate Management to secure a future design code for the town.

John Simpson, whose previous works include the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace and the masterplan for the area around St Paul’s Cathedral in London, has now joined up with the Knutsford property mogul to help secure the town’s future.

In light of the news that 650 houses will be built in the area, Tatton Estate Management have called upon John to help lead a discussion on a Knutsford master plan, which will act as a guide for future developments.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, John talked about his key techniques for retaining the character of the town.

He said: “The thing about Knutsford is that it is such a remarkable place. It all holds together as a town.

“The big problem for residents is that any development could potentially destroy that.

“A town like Knutsford has grown almost to its maximum size. Then it begins to grow so that it ceases to work the way a traditional town does.

“People then have to rely more on their cars and there is more pressure on the infrastructure. Sadly all this traffic makes the whole place more congested.”

However, John explained that there is away to prevent the growth of Knutsford from getting out of control and destroying the local heritage and layout of the town.

John said: “When you grow it, you must do so in a way which is consistent, so you do not allow major developments to happen here there and everywhere- you grow Knutsford as a series of neighbourhoods which have a small character.”

As part of the plan, John explained that the town would need to grow to accommodate different houses for different types of people- the elderly and the young- and that businesses and facilities would need to go hand in hand with this development.

He stated that one of the problems with modern day development is that we have new building techniques and materials that builders of traditional builders would not have had.

John said: “The architecture is such that it belongs to Knutsford. Knutsford has grown over many centuries, but all the houses have something in common.

“The trouble in the building today is that you can import materials and building techniques.

“The reason Knutsford looks the way it does is because natural constraints made people build in the most economic way.

“They relied on local tradition.

“What if we said let’s have similar constraints to that? Then we can make sure that that it has a similar sort of character.”

Amid a number of architectural standpoints, John stressed the importance of the views of local residents in shaping the future of Knutsford developments.

He said: “I would say if you care about Knutsford, you should come forward now because if we galvanise the community it could make such a difference.

“If opinions come out too late, in a way we are fighting against time. It is already happening.

“We need to get together quickly and get a voice for Knutsford so that we can make a difference.”

Residents will be able to visit the Old Town Hall between 12pm and 6pm on Thursday to hear more about the proposals.

John will be speaking at the Old Town Hall at 7pm.