Adlington fails to make New Towns shortlist, putting brakes on plans for 20,000 new homes

Proposals for up to 20,000 new homes in Adlington, Cheshire East, have stalled after the site was not selected by Government for one of seven New Towns.

Originally shortlisted in Autumn 2025, the Cheshire village was selected as one 12 potential sites by the Government’s New Towns Taskforce, with plans for around 20,000 new homes (including 40% social housing provision) to be built on the 1,921 acre Adlington Estate. The announcement attracted the ire of the local community, with Poynton Town Council, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and the area’s MP, Labour’s Tim Roca, all among those voicing their opposition to the plans.

Detractors argued that local transport infrastructure was insufficient to cope with the influx of new residents, while the loss off nearly 2,000 acres of previously undeveloped land risked strain on local wildlife and the environment.

Landowners, Belport, and others involved in the proposals for Adlington New Town, however, argue new homes will address Cheshire East’s shortfall in social housing provision New homes could also reduce high numbers in temporary accommodation in the wider region, as well as improve routes to home ownership in Cheshire East, where house prices are among the North West’s highest.

The latest Government announcement, however, omits Adlington from the seven locations announced for New Towns, which will each deliver between 10,000 and 40,000 new homes. Elsewhere in the North West, the Victoria North area in Manchester City Centre has been shortlisted, and will see 15,000 new homes backed in the area, as well as a new Metrolink stop. Development Corporations are to be established for all shortlisted schemes that will accelerate delivery.

Other shortlisted locations for New Towns are largely in London and its commuter belt, and include Tempsford, Bedfordshire; Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield; Thamesmead, Greenwich; and Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Alongside Victoria North, Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire, and Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire, are the only other regional picks.

While plans for Adlington will not progress at present under the New Towns programme, the site (and others first proposed last year that were not shortlisted) remains to be deemed credible for development opportunities.

Cheshire East Council began a Call for Sites in February this year, inviting landowners and the public to identify sites suited for development for inclusion the borough’s next Local Plan, which could still earmark Adlington Estate for future development.

Image credit: Adlington Hall. John Swallow, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons