Press Statement
Commercial Estates Group (CEG) has submitted a planning application to deliver up to 375 new houses, including affordable and family homes, as well as 5,000 sq m of employment space, new community facilities and a primary school on the former MoD Saighton Camp site near Chester.
The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) requires an additional 417 news homes to be built each year in Chester and the recent allocation of Growth Point status means sites for an additional 900 homes will need to be identified over the next nine years. There is already a major housing shortage in Chester, compounded by an affordable housing crisis; with only 53 affordable homes being constructed in 2006/07.
Jon Kenny, director at CEG, says: "We have invested a significant amount of time, effort and money over the last three years in a bid to deliver a new link road on to the A55 to create capacity for further houses to be built. To date, we have not received approval from the Highways Agency.
"In addition, there is an estimated eight-year construction timescale in terms of delivering this access road to the Camp. This, coupled with the fact that the site is one of the few strategic brownfield development sites in Chester and the city has an urgent need to deliver more than 500 new homes each year, means that solutions have been sought to enable the early delivery of homes."
CEG has worked with transport consultant, Bryan G Hall, to seek other ways to create capacity on local roads by delivering significant and comprehensive solutions to local infrastructure problems.
These proposals, which form part of the planning application, include a major £1.5m overhaul of the Boughton Heath (Sainsbury's) roundabout to transform it into a signalised crossroads to improve safety and reduce congestion. The plans also include traffic calming measures, new safe pedestrian crossings on local roads and a subsidised and more frequent bus service. In addition, a comprehensive Green Travel Plan will be created and implemented to ensure that residents' reliance on the car is reduced.
Further information is available by calling 0113 2130300 or emailing ceg@beattiegroup.com.
The planning application can be viewed at the Chester City Council web site.