'Parkgate Lane affordable homes would meet needs of Knutsford people'

Land east of Parkgate Lane is earmarked for the 234-home Tatton Park Gate Village, and updated detailed plans have been submitted to Cheshire East Council by Tatton Estate and Bellway Homes.

The Tatton Group says the development will provide a range of new homes for local people, including accessible and affordable housing, as well as bungalows, to cater for local needs.

A number of councillors have expressed disappointment at the lack of one-bedroom homes in the scheme and the small number of bungalows.

An illustration of a proposed affordable home

Thirty per cent of the scheme must be affordable housing, and the plans include 70 affordable houses, 30 two-bed and 40 three-bed.

Of these homes 65 per cent would be affordable rent/social rent housing, the remaining 35 per cent being intermediate housing.

A report with the planning application said the preferences on Knutsford’s affordable housing waiting list were geared towards smaller properties, with 50 per cent of the need for two- and three-bedroom properties and five per cent for larger four-bedroom properties.

The report said: “While 45 per cent of the demand is for one-bedroom properties, parties who have expressed a need for one-bedroom homes would likely not turn down a two-bedroom property, because their needs might change in the future as they upsize and have children.

“Therefore, the proposed affordable housing mix is acceptable because it would meet the needs of 95 per cent of those who have expressed an affordable housing requirement in Knutsford.

“This is when the upsizing requirements of the parties expressing a need for one-bedroom properties is considered, and allows for the ability for long-term occupation of affordable rent properties as people’s requirements evolve over time.”

An illustration of a proposed market home

The report said the affordable housing plots were appropriately spread across the whole site, resulting in the housing not being segregated from the market dwellings and being successfully pepper-potted.

It added that when compared with the proposed market house types the appearance of the affordable properties was very similar.

It said: “Indeed, it would be very difficult to distinguish between affordable and market housing dwellings, given the design ethos has set out to achieve this.

“In some cases the design of the affordable housing is identical to that of the market housing, as they are proposed to use the same house type.

“Furthermore, the remainder of the affordable units are of a very similar nature to the proposed market dwellings, and are materially indistinguishable from them.”

An illustration of a proposed market home