MORE than 160 houses are earmarked for farmland under plans by Taylor Wimpey for a new £22 million estate.

The houses and apartments are earmarked for land at Heathfield Farm, off Dean Row Road, Wilmslow, the latest in a series of major housing schemes for the area.

The site is bounded by Dean Row Road, agricultural land, Brown’s Lane and houses, and is used as farmland for grazing and pasture.

Taylor Wimpey said the estate would be a ‘high quality development befitting its location on a key approach and gateway into Wilmslow’.

The development will comprise townhouses, semi-detached, detached houses and apartments.

Vehicle access would be provided from the existing roundabout on Dean Row Road, with pedestrian links onto Brown’s Lane and Dean Row Road.

The scheme envisages 113 houses, 31 social rented homes and 17 intermediate homes, with 361 parking spaces.

“The vision for this site is for a high quality residential development that respects and works with the existing constraints and opportunities,” said a report by planning consultants Lichfields accompanying the application to Cheshire East Council.

“It will be characterised by attractive streets, safe and multi-functional open spaces and eye-catching homes within a green and attractive landscape setting.

“The development will respect local character and the wider landscape setting, being of a sympathetic scale and density.

“Taylor Wimpey has consulted with the community to ensure residents had the opportunity to comment on the emerging design proposals and were aware of the time frame for the submission of the application.”

This included a public exhibition event, which was promoted by a leaflet hand delivered to 3,000 homes and businesses.

The exhibition was held at Dean Row Village Hall to present the proposals to residents and stakeholder groups.

Following the exhibition an update leaflet was distributed to 3,000 homes and businesses in September.

Building is expected to begin in 2018, and construction is likely to last four years, at a rate of 40 homes a year, dependant on market conditions.

The development would start with the construction of the access from Dean Row Road. This will be followed by the building of a show house, and the development would then move in a westerly direction towards Browns Lane.

“Once the dwellings are occupied, residents will require decorators, plumbers, gardeners and other such services,” added the report.

“Residents moving to the development from outside the area will create additional demand for facilities such as shops and restaurants, resulting in additional local economic benefits.

“It is estimated that the development could generate around £2 million net additional expenditure based on the total annual expenditure arising from new residents.

“A significant proportion of this expenditure could be retained locally within the surrounding town centres, providing a valuable source of trade for local businesses and helping to sustain retail-related employment.”

The deadline for comments on the scheme is January 4.