HARTFORD Manor will become a religious school later this year after the site was sold to Mereside Education Trust.

Cheshire West and Chester Council gave planning permission for the site, which includes the Grade II listed manor, to be converted into either 57 homes or the Mereside school last May.

The school will be open for members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church aged from seven to 18.

Mereside had hoped to open the school in March, but the opening date is now expected to be before the summer holidays.

A spokesman at the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church said: “We expect to open the school during the final term of the academic year. The school will provide education for children between years three to 13.

“The new facility will provide enhanced facilities in line with our overall global vision and ensure we continue to offer an outstanding learning experience based on a modern curriculum.”

The site had been owned by Hartford Investments, which submitted the rival planning application for homes in 2017.

At Monday’s Northwich Town Council meeting, Cllr Kevin Rimmer told members that ‘none of the big housing developers’ wanted to develop Hartford Manor as a residential site.

Cllr Susan Kaur, Conservative CWAC member for Hartford and Greenbank, had called for the site to be used as a GP practice when plans for either a school or new homes were first announced.

She said: “I did not want the housing there, and I think that investors realised they would not really get the prices they would want for homes that are in between four or five schools.

“I called for a GP practice but if the school is the only option on the table then it is better than houses.

“The housing would have added more traffic – the school is just going to increase traffic at two times in the day.”