Homes set for go ahead on former school sites

TWO former school sites are among a list of 10 plots of land a council wants to sell off to raise �4.5 million.

Cheshire East Council wants to sell the land to housing developers, who could then build affordable homes.

Land at the former Church Lawton Primary School site, in Cherry Tree Lane is among those included.

Council officers say there is a waiting list for affordable housing in Church Lawton and releasing the land would be a good site for such a development.

The school closed in July 2009 as part of a rationalisation of education places, despite a campaign by parents and villagers to save it.

The former Lodgefields Primary School site, in Sharnbrook Drive, Crewe, is also on the list.

It closed in July 2007 as part of a Cheshire County Council scheme called Transforming Learning Communities, designed to rid the county of unnecessary school places.

Councillors were due to discuss the plans at a cabinet meeting today.

A report written for the meeting states: "Lodgefields is a good site for affordable housing in a residential area of Crewe, with good facilities nearby."

It goes on to say that Crewe needs about 256 new affordable homes each year.

Mum-of-three Gaynor Jones, aged 43, who lives on the nearby Marshfield estate, was involved in the campaign to keep Lodgefields open.

She said: "Something has got to go there, but we knew housing would come as soon as the school was to close.

"We can't change what has happened, so it may as well become housing."

At today's meeting, the cabinet was due to be asked to back a new approach for dealing with the authority's property portfolio.

It includes working with registered providers to promote the increased supply of affordable housing in the borough and generating a more commercial approach to marketing the assets to developers

It is hoped by selling the land it will help with council regeneration plans in Crewe and achieve targets on affordable homes.

A council spokesman said: "It is anticipated that this supply of Cheshire East-owned sites should be sufficient for the next three years."

If the plots are sold, the council will also save money on maintenance.

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