Macclesfield News
The latest Macclesfield news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Peak Cluster pipeline moved near Gawsworth; Nov consultation
Peak Cluster has moved its CO2 pipeline boundary south-west of Gawsworth and cut the corridor to about 100m. Cheshire's next consultation opens in November.
More stories
Charity
Just Drop-In Wins BACP Accreditation, 1 of 142 in UK
Macclesfield youth charity Just Drop-In is now one of 142 BACP-accredited counselling services in the UK, after 18 months. Its counselling is free.
Council
Cheshire East Dog Rules Renewed to 2029 After 22 Replies
Dog fouling and lead rules across Cheshire East, plus the Carrs in Wilmslow, run for three more years. The legal maximum fine rises from £100 to £500 in October.
Bollington
Bollington bungalows: 77 homes plan goes to vote 30 Sept
Officers back demolishing 44 Bollington bungalows for 77 affordable homes, despite the town council's objection. Councillors decide on 30 September.
Knutsford
Spodegreen data centre: 60ha plan by M56, drop-in 30 Sept
A 60-hectare data centre campus is planned near Little Bollington, by the M56 and A556. The first public drop-in is at High Legh on 30 September, 4pm to 8pm.
House prices
Cheshire East House Prices Hit a Record £309,121 in July
The average Cheshire East home reached a record £309,121 in July, up 5.0% in a year. Semis rose fastest, flats barely moved, and June was revised down.
Poynton
Poynton Pool Dam Works: Budget More Than Doubles to £3.2m
Cheshire East has raised the Poynton Pool dam safety budget from £1.38m to £3.246m and says it has agreed a way forward with residents. What happens next.
Planning
Wilmslow: 293 Homes Approved at Cumber Lane and Dean Row
The board approved both schemes on 16 September: 125 Bellway homes off Cumber Lane and 168 off Dean Row Road, 30% affordable. What comes next.
Roadworks
Manchester Road Wilmslow: 5 Oct start, full closure in Feb
Phase 2 of the Wilmslow to Handforth cycleway starts 5 October. Signals from 7 October, then a full road closure from 11 February. Every date listed.
Schools
King's School Macclesfield opens £5m pavilion left in a will
A vet who captained the 1943-44 rugby team left King's his estate. The £5m pavilion it paid for opened this month, with 20-plus local clubs on the pitches.
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire East Car Meet Ban Would Fine Spectators Too
Watching a car meet would be an offence under Cheshire East's draft order, which also allows acoustic cameras. The consultation closes at 5pm on 14 October.
Jobs
Cheshire East Claimant Count: Under-25s Up 25% in a Year
Under-25s are more than half the annual rise in Cheshire East's claimant count, and their number is the highest since 2021. The August total reached 6,015.
Recycling
Food waste caddy: Wilmslow, Poynton, Knutsford still to come
New bin days and the food waste start date are due by mid-October. Caddies still to reach Wilmslow, Poynton and Knutsford; three Macclesfield wards unlisted.
Planning
Wilmslow: 293 homes on land safeguarded to 2030 face vote
Officers back 125 homes off Cumber Lane and 168 off Dean Row Road on 16 September, citing the new NPPF and a 3.3-year housing supply. How to speak.
Planning
Cheshire East planning: councillor call-in ends 31 October
Area planning committees face about 80% fewer cases when councillor call-in ends on 31 October. What officers will decide, and the new route to a hearing.
Schools
Alsager SEND school judged Strong in all six Ofsted areas
TILT Education in Alsager, open barely a year and teaching 12 pupils, was judged Strong in every graded area at its first Ofsted inspection on 14 July.
Planning
Handforth Care Home Approved, Mill Street Flats Refused
Councillors approved a 68-bed Green Belt care home at Handforth and refused 10 flats on Mill Street, after a new national planning rulebook landed two days earlier.
Macclesfield
Macclesfield swimmer, 16, crosses North Channel in 12h 24m
Rory Kaye swam it in 12h 24m on 24 August, ratified 1 September, the rare Scotland-to-Ireland way. Now he, his dad and his coach tell the story in their own words.
Macclesfield
Mobile tip opens in Macclesfield Saturday, not Bollington
The mobile tip reaches Duke Street car park on Saturday afternoon, a year late. Bollington is off the rota, though its town council still says otherwise.
Macclesfield
Macclesfield wine festival, 25 September: £30 a ticket
MACC WINE FEST brings 80+ wines to Macclesfield Town Hall on Friday 25 September. Tickets are £30, doors 5.55pm, and the Town Hall car park is free after 5pm.
Cheshire East
Cheshire East budget balanced only by £25m government help
Cheshire East's Q1 forecast balances only after spending all £24.995m of emergency government support, and its finance officer calls the assurance qualified.
West Park
West Park play tower opens, chosen by 1,500 votes
Macclesfield's 'Showstopper' play tower opened at West Park on 21 August, chosen by 1,500 residents in a vote. What is in it, and why it took a year.
Roads
Macclesfield Flowerpot junction: £6.9m, but not until 2028
Cheshire East's transport plan gives Macclesfield's Flowerpot junction £6.882m, none of it before April 2028. Cabinet decides on 3 September.
Schools
Macclesfield GCSE results 2026: Cheshire East reports 66%
Cheshire East says 66% of pupils passed GCSE English and maths, below the 67.8% in its last official figures. No Macclesfield state school published a number.
Fly-tipping
Cheshire East fly-tipping fines rise to £5,000 from 1 Sept
Cheshire East is raising fly-tipping penalties to £5,000 from 1 September. Its own Defra return records 42 enforcement actions last year against 3,784 fly-tips.
Planning
Handforth Garden Village work starts, consent ends 26 Sept
Work has started at Handforth Garden Village, weeks before the consent expires on 26 September. The £37m bill attached to the 1,500 homes, and how to comment.
House prices
Cheshire East house prices hit £303,387, up 5% in a year
The average Cheshire East home reached £303,387 in June, a 5% annual rise. Terraces and semis climbed fastest, and 31% fewer homes sold in early 2026.
Planning
Macclesfield: Appeal Allows 200 Homes on Prestbury Road
An inspector granted outline permission for up to 200 homes off Prestbury Road, ruling the Green Belt fields are grey belt. Affordable share: 45%.
Planning
Macclesfield planning: officers now back 68-bed care home
Cheshire East officers now back a 68-bed Handforth care home they wanted refused in January. Two Macclesfield schemes face refusal at the 19 August committee.
Planning
South Macclesfield Development Area: £10m grant signed away
Cheshire East signed a deed of termination with Homes England on 7 August, ending the £10m link road grant for the stalled 950-home site beside Danes Moss.