Senior-focused resi proposed for contentious Crewe site
Liberty Living Partnership wants to build 74 affordable independent living apartments off Sydney Road, where three previous projects have foundered.
In a shift from plans put forward by earlier applicants, the plans lodged with Cheshire East Council are specifically for a senior living scheme, a sector where there is a marked shortage of supply.
Operator Liberty Living Partnership, part of the eponymous Chester business, is working with Farsorest Developments. JDA Architects and planner Ashton Hale are advising the development team, seeking full planning permission. Astute Transport is also advising the applicant.
Aimed at the over-55s market, the intention in for 58 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom apartments.
Liberty Living, which looks to deliver projects in partnership with housing associations, said in planning documentation that its scheme is “designed to be outwardly facing as opposed to historic models of supported living which both feel institutional and insular by design”.
The firm said that although the apartments will be restricted to those over the age of 55, the average age of residents within its developments as a whole is 75. A property manager will be on site as the main point of contact for residents, the firm said.
JDA’s design is for a mostly three-storey U-shaped building, with amenity space between the new block and the existing housing.
The proposed site is around 2.5 acres and sits between the railway line and the rear of homes on Sydney Road’s eastern side. Access would come via an existing route in, from Sydney Road.
It sits close to – although not within – Cheshire East’s Sydney Road housing allocation, which allows for up to 525 homes.
In its planning statement, Ashton Hale said: “The existing built development surrounding the site, and the land located to the east allocated for housing delivery, sets the application site within an urbanised landscape where the delivery of further housing units would not be out of place.”
However, the applicants must overcome both the weight of historic verdicts and contemporary objections, which are piling up on Cheshire East’s planning portal.
Three separate applications for the site’s development have met with refusal, in 2017, 2019, and 2023. The first two of these proposed 40 affordable dwellings in a mix of sizes, coming from Galliford Try Partnerships, working with partners including Barton Willmore and JDA.
The third, another JDA design for Anwyl Partnerships, set out 45 homes including bungalows, walk-up flats, terraces and semi-detached houses.
This was refused on the basis that the harm to open countryside outweighed the potential benefits of a development described as “cramped” in layout.
The Sydney Road area, densely populated and a main bus route, has been a focus for housing developers in recent years, with Watkin Jones putting together a masterplan including a chunk of Plus Dane Homes; while David Wilson’s plans for around 150 homes saw lengthy debates on housing numbers and open spaces.
Liberty Living and Farsorest’s plans can be seen on Cheshire East’s planning portal, with the reference 25/0775/FUL.
Looks like the ideal site or a station, to encourage more people to use public transport
By GetItBuilt!
Sydney Road cannot cope with any more traffic. It’s already awash with properties putting a strain on GP surgery. The water and power infrastructure is fit to burst, literally,
By Anonymous
Too many properties have bern built in the Sydney area in the past 3 years for us residents that live off Sydney road it has become a nightmare to turn onto Sydney road from our streets. The builders need to look at different areas and leave us in peace for once. More traffic will add yo the problem
By Johnson
More development on the main artery through Crewe. Ridiculous.
Get a grip on infrastructure before building more homes. At this rate of building Sydney will be joined up with Haslington. Enough is enough.
By Anonymous