Tatton Bluebell Village public consultation goes ahead

Sixty people attended the Tatton Estate's public consultation on its Bluebell Village development, held at Charlton Lodge Scout Hut on Thursday, February 29. 

The estate is currently seeking outline planning permission from Cheshire East Council, which is a sign-off on the principle and the quantity of the development, which it hopes will be granted by April this year. 

The details, however, including the size and look of the homes, road layout, active travel, sustainability, and public open space are knowns as ‘reserved matters’, and don’t need to be fully settled before outline planning permission can be granted.

An artists impression of how Tatton's Bluebell Village may look (Image: Tatton Estates)

The public consultation was held to give residents a chance to have their say on these matters before detailed plans are finalised. 

Residents who couldn't attend are encouraged to visit Tatton Estate's website, where information shared on the day can be viewed, and a questionnaire can be downloaded and submitted. 

The estate reported at the top of people's agendas on the day were the types of homes being built, highways, active travel, and nature and biodiversity. 

Tatton Estate’s head of strategic development, Amy Bowden, said: “The purpose of the event is to get the public’s opinions on how they’d like the scheme to come forward.

“We’re looking for their input on things like appearance, access, and landscaping.

“The design and type of housing is yet to be determined, including numbers of bedrooms. That’s another reason we’re here consulting with the public, and will continue to consult.

So far, plans for the 275-home development only exist in outline (Image: Tatton Estates)

“We’ll also be informed by Cheshire East’s housing officers, and 30 per cent will be affordable housing.

“We already know there’s a real need. The development is part of the housing requirement for Cheshire East which was identified in the Local Plan in 2017.

“Since this scheme got a resolution to grant, the council have been counting these homes toward their total housing supply need numbers.

“But even with this scheme, they’re still 250 homes under what’s required."

The development is not without controversy, with campaign groups and residents raising concerns over increased traffic through the town, as well as pressure on local schools and healthcare services.

Mereheath Park resident, Chris Powell, who went to the consultation, said: “Knutsford is popular with developers because it has a lot to offer.  

"There has to be a balance though. If we just keep on building and building, there’s a real danger the things which make Knutsford an attractive place to live will be lost.

"I’m also slightly concerned over how planning permission can be granted when there’s almost no detail available, save for a boundary line, about the development itself."

Alan Ashworth, who lives on Sugar Pit Lane, said: “It’s nearly impossible to get a doctor or a dentist in Knutsford already, and only a mad man would drive into town on a Saturday or when the kids are on the way to school.    

Tatton Park resident, Ailsa Seddon, said: "The world has moved on since 2019 when the Local Plan was finalised.

"There’s much less public money around these days for things like improving schools and highways maintenance.

"The council should take this into account before they make a final decision."

Tatton Estate’s highways consultant, Peter Blair, says the developers have already taken into account the project’s impact on traffic.

He said: “We’ve analysed peak flow traffic, which is predominantly people heading for the motorways to get to work in places like Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, and Preston.

“In terms of through traffic through Knutsford, this scheme won’t have that big of an impact.  

“My client has also agreed to contribute £1.3 million to local infrastructure, including active travel, which is a large part of government targets in terms of how people get around.

“They’re putting their money where their mouth is.”