Muller Property Group is bringing forward proposals for a new residential development on land to the east of Chester Road, Malpas. The project will deliver around 90 high-quality homes, providing a balanced mix of housing types and tenures, including affordable housing to help meet local needs within Cheshire West and Chester.

The development represents an opportunity to create a sustainable and well-connected community that complements the character of Malpas, delivering new homes in an area already identified as having “suitable residential potential” within the Council’s Land Availability Assessment.

Design and Layout

The masterplan has been designed to reflect the surrounding settlement pattern and landscape context. A new access will be created from Chester Road, forming the main street through the development and ensuring safe and efficient vehicle movement.

A network of pedestrian and cycle routes will connect the site internally and to the wider area, encouraging active travel and promoting healthy lifestyles. The layout also incorporates public open space and landscaped areas, providing attractive green spaces for residents and enhancing local biodiversity.

Landscape and Environment

The landscape strategy integrates a range of features designed to enhance the site’s environmental quality, habitat value, and visual character.
Generous areas of green space will accommodate native planting, biodiversity improvements, and a water attenuation basin that will manage surface water on site. This system will store rainfall and release it at a controlled rate, ensuring there is no increased risk of flooding in the local area.

The site lies within Flood Zone 1, the lowest category of flood risk, and Environment Agency mapping confirms it is not at risk from surface water flooding.

Sustainability and Connectivity

Located just 0.5 kilometres from local shops, schools, and community facilities, the site is well connected to services within Malpas. It also benefits from the frequent No. 41 bus route between Chester and Whitchurch, and easy access to the A41, providing strong links to neighbouring towns.

This makes the site a highly sustainable location for new housing, helping to reduce car dependency and support the vitality of Malpas.

Planning Context

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Local Plan is now more than five years old, and under the Government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the borough’s housing requirement has increased from 532 to 1,914 dwellings per annum.

Evidence published by the Council shows that the current housing land supply has fallen to around 2.1 years, well below the five-year requirement. This highlights an urgent need for new, deliverable housing sites across both urban and rural areas, including settlements like Malpas.

The proposed development at Chester Road offers an opportunity to help address this shortfall while providing high-quality, sustainable homes in a suitable and deliverable location.

Next Steps

An Outline Planning Application will be submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council later this year. Detailed design matters, such as appearance and layout, will be addressed through a future Reserved Matters Application.