Ground broken at the Garden Village at Handforth site as updated plans submitted
18 August 2026
Plans for a Garden Village at Handforth are moving from vision to reality, with construction work to enable this thriving new community now underway.
Work has started on the creation of the new gateway entrance to the Garden Village at Handforth, implementing the existing planning consent and helping unlock future phases of construction work across the site.
Handforth Garden Village is being designed as more than a new housing development. A nature-led masterplan will place green spaces, biodiversity and sustainable travel at the heart of the community.
The vision is to create a connected, healthy and sociable community where people can live, work and thrive.
Once completed, the Garden Village will deliver a fully integrated community of around 1,500 market and affordable new homes, supported by a range of infrastructure and amenities – a village centre incorporating a new through school for pupils aged four to 16, a nursery, apartments, new employment space, a food store, leisure and retail units, extra care accommodation, a community hub, and extensive civic spaces and play areas for the local community to enjoy.
The start of works on site is the outcome of a significant amount of progress on the scheme over the past 12 months.
In spring last year, Cheshire East Council agreed to explore the potential of forming an investment partnership with MADE Partnership to deliver the Garden Village, and signed an exclusivity agreement with MADE a few months later.
Since then, MADE has been working with the council to review the scheme and has now applied for a variation to the existing planning consent for the site, which was approved in 2023. These changes will help make the scheme easier to deliver and improve its design.
Councillor Mick Warren, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for Planning, Housing and Regeneration, said: “Today marks a really important step towards creating a new Garden Village at Handforth that residents can be proud of.
“This is a large-scale and ambitious project and since the council entered into an exclusivity agreement with MADE Partnership last summer, strong progress has been made in developing the plans.
“Reaching these latest milestones is a marker of MADE Partnership’s commitment to the Garden Village and demonstrates the value of the public and private sectors working together to deliver significant growth.
"Through our close partnership working, we share an ambition to create a sustainable, high-quality place that delivers new homes, jobs, community facilities and green spaces, while supporting the long-term economic growth of Cheshire East."
MADE Partnership – formed between Barratt Redrow plc, Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group – is a specialist master developer that was set up to support councils and private landowners to deliver large-scale residential communities across England.
It brings capital strength, proven delivery capability and a unique combination of public and private sector expertise, built for large, complex sites.
If the investment partnership is formed, it means the council and MADE Partnership would create a new master developer which would be responsible for all aspects of the Garden Village at Handforth until the scheme is delivered in full.
Stephen Kinsella, MADE Partnership managing director, said: “Starting work onsite at the Garden Village at Handforth represents a key milestone for MADE Partnership.
“Working collaboratively with Chehire East Council and other stakeholders has enabled us to bring the project forward at pace, identifying some adjustments that will aid delivery of our compelling, shared vision.
“Our aim, going forward, is to formalise our relationship with Cheshire East into an investment partnership to share the rewards of our collaboration.
“By working in partnership with the council and other stakeholders, we will create a community where homes, jobs and nature thrive, supported by infrastructure and amenities that makes the Handofrth Garden Village work.”
The Garden Village at Handforth scheme is supported by funding awarded from Homes England towards the cost of the new infrastructure needed to unlock the site.
A comprehensive package of mitigation is anticipated to ensure the development provides for upgrades to community infrastructure both on and off site, where needed to address ecology, healthcare, education, sport and highway impacts.