HANDFORTH is to receive £150,000 towards plans for a 1,600-home garden village.

It is one of the communities set to benefit from an £8 million cash boost announced by Housing Minister Esther McVey.

A total of £6 million will be allocated to help new locally-led garden towns and villages progress plans to deliver up to 200,000 new homes.

The 121-hectare Handforth garden village is earmarked for land east of the A34 Handforth bypass and south of the new A555 Manchester Airport link road.

An additional £1.9 million will be given to councils in England, including Cheshire East, to support new neighbourhood plans, allowing communities to get involved and have their say on the types of homes built and where.

Ms McVey said: “Communities have the local insight to decide what new homes should look like and the kind of infrastructure they need in their area.

“This is what neighbourhood planning is all about, so I’m pleased this funding will ensure the right homes are built in the right places.

“I am also announcing extra cash to deliver new vibrant garden communities, which will help deliver tens of thousands of well-designed new homes for hardworking families.”

The funding will support local authorities to deliver neighbourhood plans by providing advice and expertise to communities which want a plan, organising an independent examination of draft plans, hosting local referendums giving communities a final say on the plans and supporting communities who want to deliver new plans but have not been able to.

A total of 21 garden towns and villages already in the pipeline across England will receive a share of £6 million to progress their proposals towards delivering up to 200,000 new homes.

The Government said the cash injection would mean homes get built which otherwise would not, because it would be used for preparing environmental assessments and using the latest design techniques to develop areas people will be proud to be part of.

The Government is supporting the delivery of four garden towns and villages in the north west, including Handforth, representing new settlements building in areas which need new homes. These are locally led by councils or supportive third-party groups.