A 1,500-HOME garden village in Handforth has moved a step closer to reality after planning chiefs unveiled their vision for the site.

Cheshire East Council will ask members of the strategic planing board next Wednesday to give the green light for members of the public to have their say on plans for the new village, set to the east of the A34.

In CEC’s draft plans, Cllr Ainsley Arnold, CEC cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: “The site represents a very exciting opportunity to create an exemplar new village in the borough.

“It will be a community where people can move through the village as their lives grow and evolve.

“All development will be of the highest quality of design and the garden village will create a pleasant and sustainable community, supported by the infrastructure it needs.”

The garden village is written into CEC’s local plan, while it was given the Government’s backing as one of 14 new garden villages across the country in January 2017.

CEC says that the vision for the garden village is to create a ‘beautiful and characterful Cheshire village’ with a ‘sustainable, integrated, inclusive, and vibrant community’.

It will include ‘around 1,500 homes’ – 30 per cent of which will be affordable, while five per cent will be ‘self-build’ homes – and up to 12 hectares of employment land, including offices and light industry.

The new village centre will also include shops, health facilities, a pub, a takeaway, a restaurant, sports and leisure facilities, a village hall, a nursery, a care home, a hotel and a primary school.

Meanwhile, developers will be required to make a contribution to both Handforth Medical Centre and Wilmslow High School to boost infrastructure.

A report issued ahead of next week’s meeting said: “The potential challenges of creating this new garden village are significant and complex.

“However, development of the site also brings with it a significant opportunity.

“The concept of a new settlement was first mooted in response to concerns over the impact of sporadic development, disconnected from necessary infrastructure.

“In contrast, by concentrating development in a single location, it is possible to plan comprehensively for the community’s needs.”

CEC – which owns 70 per cent of the site – will have to wrestle with difficulties of ground contamination, road upgrades and protection for both wildlife and heritage sites, according to the report.

The plans also set requirements for environmentally-friendly homes, with renewable energy produced in the village, while developers will be expected to mitigate any impact on highways – with the main entrance to the village being the busy Coppice Way roundabout, on the A34.

A village green will sit at the heart of the village, while an ‘art and heritage trail’ will connect sites including Handforth Hall and the Grade II-listed Dairy House Farm – which is set to be restored under the plans.

A wildlife conservation site will be protected in the village, while orchards and allotments are also set to be included, and a new ‘garden bridge’ over the A34 will link the site to the existing Handforth centre for pedestrians and cyclists.

If the plans are approved for consultation, residents will have six weeks to have their say on the scheme.

CEC hopes to have submitted a planning application for the site by the end of the year, with construction taking place from 2020-21, and all work completed by 2030.