Cheshire East Council is mulling over the sale of parts of two Macclesfield town centre car parks for residential development. A report for the upcoming economy and growth committee meeting notes that the long-stay car parks at Churchill Way and Duke Street are under-used..
Should the plan proceed, Churchill Way could see a reduction from 276 spaces to 123, while Duke Street might go from 275 to 105, equating to a total decrease of 323 parking spaces. The report cites a recent feasibility study, which suggests: "The study indicated that partial release of both car parks should not result in significant negative impacts."
It outlines potential advantages of redeveloping these underused car parks in Macclesfield town centre, such as providing new homes to meet housing needs, including options for specialist housing; offering a variety of home choices in a sustainable location; boosting the local population who will spend in the area, supporting the vitality of town centre businesses, especially the evening economy; and drawing construction investment. Other benefits could include increasing council tax revenue; creating modern homes to attract young professionals; the possibility of well-designed buildings enhancing the value of residential and commercial properties; and the opportunity to generate funds for further improvements, such as urban greening or enhancing pedestrian areas.
The report recognises the importance of maintaining sufficient parking to support residents, visitors, and businesses, to prevent undermining town centre vitality and residential amenity. However, it suggests that if the capacity of Churchill Way and Duke Street car parks were reduced to 123 spaces and 105 spaces respectively, displaced vehicles could be accommodated in other existing car parks.
The economy and growth committee will be asked on Tuesday to approve the proposal to convert part of Churchill Way and Duke Street car parks into housing sites, provided they are declared operationally surplus. Councillors will also be asked to give authority to the executive director of place to explore and choose the most suitable form of housing redevelopment for the surplus land at Churchill Way and Duke Street car parks.
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