A Keppel-Green | Knutsford Town Council

2Mar2026

Wildlife Planting as part of Nature Action Plan

Volunteers have planted a new native hedge at St Helena’s Field on Longridge as part of the Knutsford Nature Action Plan. This has been followed by planting of trees and an orchard.

The hedge planting took place on 18^th February with a group of residents turning out to help Town Rangers Bob and Alfie get the hedge into the ground. The hedgerow, which will be maintained at 1m high to maintain views across the open space, comprises a mix of native hedging plants including hazel, hawthorn, dog rose, dogwood and alder. The alder has mainly been planted at the boggy Higher Downs end of the field to also help with drainage.

Hedges are a vital wildlife habitat and provide shelter and food for a range of mammals, birds and invertebrates. Even low hedges, such as the one planted, will provide a range of ecological benefits and enhance local wildlife corridors.

Additional tree planting was undertaken by the Town Council’s Town Rangers with a selection of native UK trees, including more Alder, Downy Birch and Oak, being planted to enhance the natural environment. A small community orchard was also planted near the Adelaide Heath Academy side of the green.

The proposals for St Helena’s Field were subject to community consultation in 2025 and the council will explore the implementation of additional measures put forward in that consultation, such as installing benches, later this year.

The planting was delivered as part of the Town Council’s Nature Action Plan which aims to make Knutsford better for wildlife and support biodiversity. Over the last six years the town council has planted trees, created wildlife meadows and raised awareness of population decline, such as through the Bee Trail launched in 2025.

The tree and hedge planted was funded by United Utilities, who joined volunteers to help with the planting. The orchard was funded by Bentley Manchester.

The council’s next activity for its Nature Action Plan is the launch of it’s 2026 wildlife campaign focused on Frogs and Pondlife with a special event taking place on the Moor on 21^st March.

26Feb2026

Council to discuss sale of 60 King Street

The Assets and Operations Committee of the Town Council has recommended to Full Council that the freehold of 60 King Street be sold.

Over the past year, the Town Council has been working with Bruntwood to explore options that enable the council to retain ownership of the building and secure third party investment for a commercial use of the building. In March 2025, it was agreed to explore an alternative option where the upper floors would
be converted to residential use with the ground floor restored to a commercial use. Following engagement with the Cheshire East Council Conservation Officer and a number of prospective partners, all interested parties except one withdrew interest. At the February Assets and Operations Committee meeting, the committee considered the output of this work and met with the company which had submitted a proposal. It was considered that the proposal was not sufficiently detailed such
that it could confidently be considered viable.

The committee concluded that during the last seven years all viable options for the council retaining
ownership of the building had been explored and that there was no alternative than to put the building on the market.

Chair of the Assets and Operations Committee, Cllr Peter Coan said “60 King Street is the town’s most iconic building and over the last seven years, we have sought to find a viable solution that enabled it to remain publicly owned. Whilst trying to secure investment to restore it we have suffered the covid lockdown and a subsequent downturn in investor interest. Regrettably, this option has not been possible.”

“Our Assets and Operations Committee has resolved to recommend to Full Council that it authorises the sale of the asset; this will be discussed at the council meeting on Monday 2nd March and subject to approval we will engage a commercial agent to market the property and invite tenders for its purchase.”

“We will continue to update the community as decisions are made.”

The recommendation to sell the building will be discussed at the Full Council meeting on Monday 2nd March. The agenda for the meeting is available here and the meeting will be livestreamed via Zoom and Facebook.

11Feb2026

Call for community to help develop Town of Culture Bid

A call has gone out to the community to develop a bid for the first ever UK Town of Culture Competition.

Towns across the UK have been invited to submit a bid to be named UK Town of Culture as part of a government initiative modelled on the success of the UK City of Culture Competition.

“There is so much for us to be proud of in the towns we’re from – from the rich, local history to unique festivals and celebrations. They have shaped our national story for decades” said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP “Now it’s time they take centre stage and showcase the unique stories they have to tell. We have seen the transformative power of culture through the UK City of Culture competition. I want to make sure that towns have the same opportunity to make a real difference to their local community and show the world exactly why their town is so special.”

This competition provides a platform for communities across the country to tell their own unique story and shines a spotlight on the vital role towns play in our national life.

Applications for UK Town of Culture 2028 will be judged on three main criteria:

Your story – the unique story of the town
Culture for everyone – how the town will design a cultural programme for all
Making it happen – how the town will then deliver a successful programme

A handful of the strongest bids will be selected to go though to the next stage and secure £60,000 to develop a full programme. Three towns will then be shortlisted, with two runners up receiving £250k to deliver elements of their programme and a UK winner receiving a £3,000,000 prize to deliver a programme of cultural activity.

With a strong community-led partnership being key to a successful bid, Knutsford Town Council is appealing to community volunteers to come forward to lead a bid.

Town Mayor, Cllr Bryan Hartley said “Knutsford has a real opportunity to put itself in the national stage through the UK Town of Culture competition – but we cannot do it alone and time is short.”

“We are calling on business, community groups and residents who believe in the cultural heritage of our town to step forward and support the bid. With the right backing we can showcase how Knutsford’s story, heritage and community spirit deserve national recognition”

Anyone interested can contact Cllr Bryan Hartey on bryan.hartley@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk or 07968 544 442

10Feb2026

Help plant a new hedge with Ranger Bob

Volunteers are invited to help plant a new hedge around St Helena’s as part of the Knutsford Nature Action Plan.

With generous funding from United Utilities, a new native hedgerow will be planted around the open space to provide new habitat for wildlife.

Hedges are an important wildlife habitat and as the most widespread semi-natural habitat in the UK, they support a large diversity of flora and fauna. They make a great shelter and their flowers, berries and nuts are a vital food source for invertebrates, birds and mammals.

Just over 200m of hedgerow whips will planted around the perimeter of the site, with regular 3m gaps for passing through.

The planting will take place on Wednesday 18^th February from 10am. Bring a spade/trowel and help make Knutsford a better place for nature.

If you would like to get involved, please sign up by completing the following form, and the council will be in touch with further information: www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/hedgeplanting

If you have any questions or need to register your interest in an alternative format, please do get in touch by emailing enquiries@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk or calling 01565 653 929

24Dec2025

Feedback invited on Christmas Events

Knutsford Town Council is inviting residents and visitors to share their views on this year’s Christmas events as part of a survey aimed at improving festive celebrations in 2026.

The survey is open now and seeks input from all those who attended this year’s Christmas festivities, whether that was the Knutsford Christmas Lights Switch On, Knutsford Christmas Market or the Knutsford Community Crib Service.

The feedback will help the Council better understand what worked well, how the new event layout and separate dates were received, and where improvements can be made to enhance the visitor experience in future years.

Town Clerk, Adam Keppel-Green said “Our Christmas events are an important part of Knutsford’s festive calendar and a highlight for many families and visitors. Hearing directly from those who joined us this season will ensure we continue to develop and refine these celebrations in ways that reflect the wishes of our community and visitors alike.”

As a thank-you for taking part, respondents will be entered into a prize draw to win a £20 Knutsford Voucher, redeemable at a range of shops and restaurants in the town centre.

The survey closes on 16^th January 2026 and it can be accessed at www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/survey

Knutsford Town Council is committed to listening and responding to the views of the community, helping to make Knutsford an even better place to live, work and visit.

24Oct2025

Market Hall Roof Works Completed

A second programme of investment in Knutsford Market Hall has now been completed.

Knutsford Town Council appointed local firm, Cheshire Roof Repairs and its sister company Cheshire Solar Services to deliver an upgrade to the main roof of the Market Hall. The works, which started in September, followed the major renovation undertaken within the building earlier in the year.

This programme of works:

Installed a layer of insulation to the roof to help retain heat during the winter and reduce heat gain during the summer
Replaced the old single glazed skylights with new double-glazed tinted glazing units which will let more light in whilst blocking some of the sun’s heat during the summer
Renewed the roof covering with a new flat roof system to provide longevity
Replaced the old single glazed upper front windows to new, openable double-glazed units
Installed a new solar panel system with battery storage to reduce grid electricity consumption

The £90k investment was funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by Cheshire East Council.

“These works have delivered a major upgrade to the sustainability of the Market Hall, helping us retain heat in the winter, reduce heat gain in the summer and generate some of the electricity that the building needs – even in October we’ve been able to generate around 10% of our daily electricity usage” said Town Clerk Adam Keppel-Green.

The Market Hall is home to eight fixed traders which include an organic greengrocer, local butcher, vinyl records and bakery. The market is also able to accommodate pop-up casual traders and out of hours is a hireable community space which has already hosted children’s birthday parties, daylight discos, community meetings and fundraising events.

“We know that this summer the market was too hot and as these works complete, we are now exploring the installation of fixed air conditioning and additional ventilation to ensure we don’t have a recurrence of the issues again in 2026” Adam added.

To enquire about a casual stall, or to hire the venue visit: https://www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/services/market-hall

24Oct2025

Feedback invited on draft 2026 budget

Knutsford Town Council is inviting feedback on its draft budget for 2026/27.

This is the first time the council has undertaken public engagement as part of its budget setting process. The engagement period closes 21^st November, ahead of the council’s Finance Committee budget meeting on 1^st December.

Households in Knutsford pay a portion of their council tax to the Town Council; known as the parish precept, this accounts for just under 5.6% of the total council tax paid. In 2025, for a Band D household, this amounted to £11.08 per month.

Over September and October, council committees have prepared their draft budgets for the financial year starting 1^st April 2026. The draft budget will be published on the council website from Friday 24^th October, alongside an explanatory guide to the changes in next year’s budget. The initiative aims to provide a meaningful opportunity for the community to influence local spending priorities before the budget is finalised.

The feedback from the engagement will go to the Finance Committee when it considers the draft budget in early December, and makes a recommendation to January’s Full Council meeting which sets the budget and determines the precept.

All questions will be answered in a formal response at the end of the consultation, and all feedback from this consultation will be included in the papers for the Finance Committee’s budget meeting.

To support the engagement, three ‘budget conversation’ events are being held. These events will include a presentation on the council’s budget and provide an opportunity for questions and comments to be raised. The events will be held:

Tuesday 4^th November at 7pm in Knutsford Market Hall
Wednesday 12^th November at 1pm in Knutsford Market Hall
Wednesday 12^th November at 7pm via Zoom

Residents can register for the Zoom event here: Register for Zoom session

“This is the first time we have held public engagement on our draft budget, and we would greatly value our resident’s input as part of this process” said Cllr Matthew Robertson, Chairman of the council’s Finance Committee.

“The amount residents pay to the Town Council is just a small part of their council tax, but with that we are able to deliver some great outcomes for the community, from our Town Rangers tackling pavement weeds, to delivering events like the upcoming Pumpkin Path which bring the community together.”

“This consultation is purposefully open and we don’t have any binary do you support this or that questions. Any comments, input and feedback residents want to share is welcome whether that is via our website, or in person at our budget conversation events”.

All information is available at www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/budget26

16Oct2025

Views sought on walking and cycling in Knutsford

Residents are urged to take part in an active travel survey to inform a new, locally focused, infrastructure plan.

Knutsford Town Council has launched a new community-wide survey to gather input that will inform the development of a new Knutsford Active Travel Infrastructure Plan.

The focus of the new plan will be on everyday journeys – such as walking and cycling to work or school, visiting friends, and accessing local services. The plan will identify a range of practical measures to make walking and cycling easier, safer and more convenient.

“This survey will help us understand where changes are needed to make everyday travel on foot and by bike safer and easier for our residents” said Cllr Colin Banks, lead member of the council’s active travel infrastructure plan working group.

“The aim our plan will be to identify barriers that residents face in choosing to walk and cycle, from areas they feel unsafe crossing, areas of poor maintenance, or missing infrastructure like somewhere to park your bike or benches to rest along a route”.

The plan will incorporate work undertaken by Cycle Knutsford on a cycling infrastructure plan as part of the 2019 Neighbourhood Plan; and for the first time will create a plan with walking as a key focus. The survey will help inform the development of this plan, which will be subject to further consultation in 2026.

The Knutsford Active Travel Infrastructure Plan will be more locally focused than a similar plan being prepared by Cheshire East Council which looks at just three walking and cycling routes in the town. Whilst the CEC “Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan” looks at three walking routes in the town and three cycling routes from Knutsford to surrounding areas, the Knutsford specific plan will take a more holistic approach to promoting active travel across the town.

Improving pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the town was a key message from consultation the council undertook in 2022 as part of developing its 10-year strategy and development of the active travel plan is a key part of the council’s aim to enable residents to choose to reduce their reliance on cars by improving the desirability of walking, cycling and using public transport.

The Town Council encourages anyone who lives, works, or regularly visits Knutsford to take just a few minutes to complete the online questionnaire. Input is welcomed from all age groups and abilities, whether you are a regular cyclist, an occasional walker, a wheelchair user or someone who currently relies entirely on the car.

The survey is open until 30^th November and can be accessed online at www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/consultations. Paper copies of the survey will be available from 16^th October and can be picked up at the Council Offices, Knutsford Library, The Welcome, Knutsford Market Hall and other locations across the town or requested by calling 01565 653 929.

2Oct2025

Town Centre Masterplan Process Starts

Around 70 residents attended one of the two inaugural meetings about the new Town Centre Masterplan on 1^st October.

The Town Council has set out a timeline to develop a town centre masterplan over the next 15 months and the meetings provided the opportunity to find out more about the history of the issues, the process the council would follow and gave people a chance to share their views on the topics which will be looked at in the plan.

“We are pleased to be working with the community to explore opportunities to enhance the Town Centre through a well-constructed masterplan.” Said Cllr April Johnson, chair of the Town Council’s Town Centre Committee.

A new webpage has now been launched on the Town Council website with information about the masterplan, this includes a video of the presentation given by the council at the information sessions. The webpage also contains a document library with relevant background information, including the outcome of feasibility studies undertaken by the council last year.

“We have much to celebrate in our town centre. As well as being one of the most beautiful heritage towns, we have a high number of independent shops and businesses invested here, a low high street retail vacancy rate and our town centre events are superb. The Town Clerk has done an excellent job this week of presenting the journey so far and he explains the complex traffic issues which have prevented previous plans from coming to fruition” April added.

Over the next two weeks the council is inviting people to express an interest in joining one of the four sub-groups which will develop the four chapters of the masterplan.

“Through the sub groups we hope to inspire a workable, deliverable masterplan that the committee can adopt at the end of 2026. This will allow us to achieve some smaller projects and make us ready for future grants and investments in Knutsford Town Centre” April added.

All information can be found at: www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/tcmp

1Oct2025

Update on 60 King Street

The Council’s Assets and Operations Committee met on Monday 22^nd September and received a further update from Bruntwood in relation to 60 King Street.

Bruntwood has been engaging with potential developers who would undertake works to repurpose the upper floors into a residential use, undertaking repair to the fabric of the building to create a lettable ground floor space which would deliver an ongoing rental to the Town Council.

At the meeting, it was agreed that more detailed information is required to be able to make a decision, specifically how the residential/commercial use would work from a noise/circulation perspective and more detailed proposals on potential partners and how the mechanics of the agreement would work.

It was agreed that Bruntwood be invited to provide this detailed information by 31^st October. This will then go directly to the next Full Council meeting (10^th November) for a final decision to be made on whether this option be pursued further.

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