ONE thousand jobs could be created by a business park earmarked for Knutsford by The Crown Estate.

The 7.5-hectare business park is part of major employment and housing plans for Manchester Road.

The Crown Estate has submitted a planning application to Cheshire East Council to build new homes, employment space and a roundabout at land west of Manchester Road.

The plans included up to 60 new homes, including 18 affordable homes.

In addition, the proposals include a 7.5-hectare business park, with the potential to create around 1,000 jobs.

It follows a public consultation in September and continued dialogue with councillors, residents’ groups and Cheshire East Council.

The application, which will be accompanied by a full traffic impact assessment, includes a new roundabout to be installed on Manchester Road that will serve the site and help manage traffic in the area.

The Crown Estate said the proposals would also enable delivery of a new link road between Manchester Road and Northwich Road in the future, which could help ease traffic movement in North West Knutsford.

Steve Melligan, Strategic Land Portfolio Manager at The Crown Estate, said: “We are pleased to be submitting this application, which will deliver the next phase of our proposals for North West Knutsford.

This follows extensive consultation with the local community over the past year, which included a public exhibition in September.

“If approved, the application will deliver much needed new homes and employment space to the local area, as well a number of transport improvements, which include a new roundabout on Manchester Road and the northern section of the proposed future relief road around North West Knutsford.”

The planning application will come before Cheshire East Council’s planning committee next year.

If approved, work is likely to start towards the end of next year.

The proposals represent the second phase of The Crown Estate’s masterplan for North West Knutsford, building on the previous approval for 190 homes at land north of Northwich Road.

The Crown Estate is a £14 billion real estate business specialising in commercial property in central London, prime regional retail and offshore wind.

It also has a substantial rural and coastal portfolio and manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.