Trains are to run from Cheadle for the first time since the 1960s after proposals for a new railway station were given the green light.
Stockport council’s planning committee nodded through the £9m station when it met last night (December 15), despite 45 public objections.
Bankrolled by the government’s flagship ‘Town’s Fund’, the stop will be on the Chester to Manchester line next to the Alexandra Hospital and just 100m from Cheadle High Street. Plans for the station - set to open in 2025 - include a single platform with covered shelters, car and cycle parking, passenger drop off facilities and electric vehicle charging points.
READ MORE : Garage owner fears new plans for train station will force him out of business
A related £1m package of walking and cycling improvements also provides access to the station, High Street and other routes. Planning officer Emma Curle told the meeting that the development had ‘been identified as a key piece of infrastructure that aims to assist in reducing congestion on roads and provide improvements to air quality in the area’.
She added: “The principle of the proposed station along with the associated pedestrian and cycle improvements is not only consistent with the policies of our own development plan but also the aims and objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework.”
Ms Curle also advised councillors that the development would result in ‘limited harm’ to the green belt, but officers considered this was outweighed by the benefits of the scheme. The station plan has been broadly welcomed in the Cheadle area - with a survey finding 87pc of respondents supported the development and 79 percent were likely to travel to it by foot or bike.
But nearby business Daniel Maxwell Cars says a new shared cycle lane and footpath into the station would make it 'impossible' for them to stay open and could also put road users at risk. The firm made a detailed objection but the council - also the applicant - has served notice on the business as a neighbouring landowner, to which they have 21 days to comment.
Planners agreed to approve the application - but defer and delegate the decision to officers pending the expiry of the 21 day notice period. Coun Brian Bagnall said “I think this is an important development for Cheadle. I think lots of people have been working hard to get this done and I think officers should be given the opportunity to approve a delegated instruction.”
Stockport council planning committee met at the town hall on Thursday night (December 15).
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