Bruntwood and Hillcrest Homes Announce Booths Park Joint Venture

Leading regional property company Bruntwood, has partnered with Hillcrest Homes to deliver the next phase of their development at Booths Park, Knutsford. Hillcrest Homes is a well-respected developer of high quality housing throughout the North West and was chosen by Bruntwood for its track record in delivering appropriate developments of varying housing types in sensitive locations.

The partnership is seeking to bring forward a phased development of around 150 houses with generous open spaces, suitable for the setting within Booths Park. The type and mix of homes will address significant identified local demand for a cross section of homes for first time buyers and downsizers. These include family housing, bungalows and efficiently designed apartments offered at genuinely affordable prices.

The proposed site has been confirmed as safeguarded land for future residential development through its allocation by Cheshire East in the Local Plan.

Bruntwood and Hillcrest Homes will shortly launch a public consultation on the masterplan for the proposals. A public exhibition is planned for Friday 16th November in Booths Hall, 3.30pm to 7.30pm. The masterplan recognises the proximity of the site to Booths Hall and will seek to open the Park for wider public access. The proposal will look at enhancing the leisure potential of the Mere and deliver new public pathways across Booths Park. In addition, there is an ongoing dialogue with Knutsford’s GP surgeries which could see much needed new medical facilities incorporated within the plans.

James Payne of Hillcrest Homes said: “Both Hillcrest Homes and Bruntwood have a significant involvement in the future development pipeline in Cheshire and it is great to be working with a company with the vision and commitment of Bruntwood. We share a similar philosophy on listening to the community and addressing their needs. Booths Park has for many years been a restricted site and we want to open it up to the town and enable residents to share in its new and existing facilities, within this fantastic parkland setting.”

James Payne added: “There is a chronic shortage of new and sensibly designed housing in Knutsford and the surrounding areas. According to Cheshire East Council’s own figures, fewer than 70 houses have been built since 2010, including Hillcrest’s award winning scheme at Norbury’s Yard in the centre of town.”

Owned by Bruntwood, Booths Park is an estate of over 220 acres and is home to a thriving business community with over 60 companies employing over 1,300 people. The site already offers a small restaurant, shop and leisure facilities which will be enhanced and made available for the new residents, should development proceed.

Chris Roberts of Bruntwood said: “Hillcrest Homes has substantial experience in delivering high quality homes in Cheshire and the North West and were a natural choice of partner for this project. Bruntwood is recognised as the long term owners and custodians of the estate and we want to ensure any future development at Booths Park is sensitive to the location, integrates within the estate and is a product that we are proud to put our name alongside. We’ve taken a similar approach to new residential development at Alderley Park, which is already seeing homes being delivered quickly, but to the very highest standards.

“We would like to bring new residential development to Booths Park to complement the existing employment offer. We have a historic commitment to the town and want to explore through meaningful consultation with the community what local people want and deliver imaginative ways to make this site more accessible and beneficial to the local community.”

Hillcrest Homes and Bruntwood will be entering into a period of consultation with the residents of Knutsford to present their vision for the site and seek comments on the plans.

In addition to the public exhibition on Friday 16th November, information about the proposals will be available online.

James Payne added: “This scheme will be delivered by Hillcrest Homes if we secure planning consent. It is not reliant upon a sale of the site to one of the volume housebuilders. The Joint Venture will develop homes of varying sizes and styles to satisfy a pent up local demand. We look forward to showcasing our plans to the community and taking people’s feedback to our next stage of design. We would really encourage people to engage in the consultation process, either online or in person at the public exhibition.”