Flowers Lane

• 15 acres  

• Residential development 

• 110 affordable homes to EPC A Rating

Castle Green Partnerships has begun work on 110 of those homes on behalf of Torus, the largest provider of affordable homes in the Northwest of England.

Further phases of the development will see an additional 94 homes delivered for Torus, alongside 196 private sale properties to be built and sold by Castle Green Homes.

The site lies within the Leighton West area, which presents the opportunity to deliver a new sustainable urban extension to support and complement the adjacent Leighton Hospital and other major local employers including Bentley.

When plans for the development were submitted, Chris Bowen, managing director of Torus Developments, described it as “a landmark site for the group” and an example of a commitment to “boosting access to truly affordable homes.”

Reserved matters planning approval for the overall scheme, taking shape across a 53-acre site, was secured in July 2021. Commencement of work on site was delayed due to the original contractor becoming insolvent. Castle Green agreed to construct the first phase of housing as part of the overall deal with Torus.

The site forms part of a seven-year deal agreed between Torus and Castle Green Partnerships to deliver almost 600 affordable homes across four sites in the Northwest by 2030.

Work started on the Flowers Lane site in June 2023, with the first homes due to be ready to move into in summer 2024.

Affordable homes, of both shared ownership and affordable rented tenures, will be pepper potted across the development, with many benefitting from views across the central green space, focal squares, and avenues.

In compliance with the Cheshire East Design Guide, the homes will be “tenure blind.”

The 110 affordable homes on the current phase will include nine one-bedroom bungalows 18 two-bedroom apartments, 17 two-bedroom houses, 52 three-bedroom houses and 14 four-bedroom houses.

By providing a mixture of unit types and different tenures, the site offers housing for a range of people including first time buyers, downsizers, and families alike.

The homes will all benefit from photo voltaic (PV) panels to the roofs addressing a planning requirement for at least 10% of the energy supply of the development to be secured from decentralised and renewable or low carbon energy sources.

Boilers and windows will be A-rated, while the homes will also benefit from electric vehicle charging points.

Upon completion the affordable housing will be owned or part-owned and managed by Torus, who will work with Cheshire East Council to ensure potential tenants and those purchasing using shared ownership meet the required criteria.

Chris Whitfield, senior development manager at Torus Development, said: “Flowers Lane is one of the largest development deals Torus has entered into and shows not only our growth as a developer, but our ability to collaborate with key partners to completely transform an area and use land-led deals such as Flowers Lane to leverage positive local change and help build a strong community.

“The whole team is thrilled to be working with Castle Green Partnerships on this scheme and to be delivering hundreds of affordable homes to Crewe – a recent addition to our geographical footprint as a developer. Flowers Lane is a fantastic way to start this long-term partnership and I am excited to be part of a team that will bring thousands of affordable homes to communities across the region.