Cheshire East awarded £20m housing infrastructure funding

Cheshire East Council has been awarded nearly £20m of government funding to unlock the infrastructure required to deliver new homes in Macclesfield and Crewe.

The council’s wholly-owned development company, Engine of the North, worked closely with the authority’s strategic infrastructure team to land the successful bid.

The government grant is a portion of the £2.3 billion of housing infrastructure funding (HIF) which has been made available nationally to local authorities via Homes England, to support the delivery of 100,000 new homes across the country.

Half of the funding awarded to Cheshire East will go towards a £19.5m new link road, as part of the South Macclesfield Development Area scheme that was granted planning permission last August. The route will open up the site and improve connectivity around Macclesfield for the community.

The remaining £10m will support the strategic infrastructure team to deliver a new link road as part of the Leighton Green scheme in Crewe. The site could deliver up to 850 new homes with around 400 of these on the southern part of the site, within Cheshire East Council’s ownership.

Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: “We’re delighted with the news of HIF funding that will support the delivery of new homes, economic growth and employment opportunities for Cheshire East.

“The funding will bring certainty to the South Macclesfield Development Area project that, due to some constraints to the site, requires significant up-front infrastructure and remediation costs. The site has long been identified for growth by providing new housing alongside employment, retail, community, recreation and sporting facilities, as well as significant green infrastructure.”

Cheshire East was awarded the highest amount of HIF funding in the North West and the second highest nationally.

Homes England assessed all bids through a competition process. The allocation of funding to all successful bids will be subject to further financial checks and due diligence.