Homes plan to end Old Mill Road saga?

Anwyl Homes has submitted a detailed planning application for 203 new homes just outside the town centre.

The 20-acre parcel of land, off Old Mill Road, already has planning permission for housing. However, as a new applicant, family-owned Anwyl has submitted its own detailed plans for the site, which include 30% affordable homes. The new application may end the repeated appearance of the site before planners, with previous owner Muller submitting a number of proposals in recent years.

Improvements to local infrastructure are also proposed including a new arm to the roundabout adjoining Old Mill Road (A533) and the A534, near Waitrose, to improve traffic flow in the area.

Alex Wigfield, land director for Anwyl Homes Cheshire and North Wales, said: “Our high-quality designs will bring much needed new homes to Sandbach to meet strong demand.

“The homes will blend well with both new and old homes in the town, while their contemporary specification includes in-built energy efficiency. This is both a sustainable and desirable location for new homes, within walking distance of Sandbach town centre and all its amenities.

“As part of the planning application, we are proposing to improve a roundabout layout to help to alleviate traffic congestion on a busy route, for the benefit of the wider community.”

Across the development Anwyl plans to build a wide selection of homes including detached, semi-detached and mews houses with two to four bedrooms, plus one-bedroom apartments, with the affordable homes “indistinguishable from the open market properties”.

Anwyl has exchanged contracts with Muller Property Group, who obtained the outline planning permission for the site, and will complete the land purchase this year.

Colin Muller, owner and founder for Muller Property Group, said: “Muller Property Group achieved yet another excellent planning consent, and to have Anwyl as our development partner is a significant step forward in addressing the local housing demand in Cheshire East. Working with the Anwyl team has been a further positive experience in our continued relationship.”

Flintshire-based homebuilder Anwyl is already known in Sandbach, having completed 151 homes as part of the Abbeyfields development, off Middlewich Road, in 2021. It also built homes in Somerford, Congleton.

The joint venture with Redrow brought more than 300 new homes to the area in total.

In August 2022, permission for up to 160 homes on the site was refused. Muller appealed and won planning permission. Prior to that, an application for 57 homes, a filling station and a retail development was refused in February 2020. An application for 85 homes and a care home was refused in 2019 but allowed on appeal. Muller had previously submitted two applications that were variations on a mix of retail and homes. One set of plans was refused in 2019 and also dismissed at appeal.