An 'eyesore' will be redeveloped with 75 homes after plans were approved.

Councillors on the Northern Planning Committee of Cheshire East council have approved plans for 75 homes on the site of the former Territorial Army centre on Chester Road, Macclesfield, next to the fire station.

The land has been left unused for more than 10 years and has been a pile of rubble since the TA Centre was demolished. The site also includes an area of public space and privately owned land.

The plans by The House Maker will be made up of 25 detached houses, 28 semi-detached, four terraced houses and 18 apartments in two blocks, including 15 affordable dwellings, all with off-street parking. There will be a new roundabout on Chester Road opposite Field Bank Road.

The public space will be retained and will be used by nearby All Hallows School for outdoor classes.

Council officers said it was a good use of a brownfield site to meet demand for housing, in a sustainable location.

Coun Martin Hardy said: “It’s an eyesore on a route into and out of town so anything like this is a blessing.”

While coun Hardy welcomed the plan for new homes, he said he had ‘grave concerns’ about the pressure on school places and said there should be more affordable housing.

These concerns were echoed by other committee members.

Coun Alift Harewood said: “I’m astounded there is no extra provision for education. I don’t believe the schools can cope.”

Coun Stewart Gardiner said it was ‘ridiculous’ that education officers were not suggesting there is an impact on local schools by the application.

Coun Laura Jeuda also criticised the lack of affordable housing. She said: “There’s nothing to justify the reduction in affordable housing. Developers are using the non-viability loophole to get out of providing affordable housing and we shouldn’t be letting them get away with it. We need more affordable housing for the people in our town, not the extortionate prices of four and five bed homes.”

Council planning officer Nick Turpin said the council can’t require such a high proportion of affordable homes on brownfield sites due to the extra associated development costs.

He also said that the capacity of nearby schools had been taken into account when considering the application, which was recommended for approval.

picture taken from Google Earth