Services and facilities Survey

Name of Settlement: //Eccleston/Churton– The Grosvenor Villages

Please tick which of the following services and facilities are provided within the named settlement, and where possible mark the location on the attached map.

Please tick Comments / Details e.g. name / (where location / opening times provided in settlement)

Post Office Post offices available at Waverton & Farndon.

Convenience yes Convenience store at Aldford.

Store

Pharmacy

Hairdressers

Car repair yes Garage at Aldford. garage

Petrol Station

Bank/Building Shopping and Society Retail Cash

points/ATM

Take-away

Restaurants Restaurants at Aldford and Churton and accessible restaurants at Farndon & Waverton.

Cafes Cafe in the Grosvenor Garden Centre, Belgrave Grocers

Bakery

Services and facilities Survey

Name of Settlement: Aldford/Saighton/Eccleston/Churton– The Grosvenor Villages

Please tick which of the following services and facilities are provided within the named settlement, and where possible mark the location on the attached map.

Butchers

Any other shops and facilities:

There are a number of retail businesses on the Grosvenor Estate.

Including:

- Furniture Company, Aldford. - Grosvenor Garden Centre, Belgrave. - Farmer's Market at the Garden Centre. - Picture Framing Company, Aldford. - Conservatories and Window Sales Company.

Please tick Comments / Details e.g. name / (where location / opening times (where provided in applicable) settlement)

Library

Mobile Library Mobile Library visits the villages once Service a month.

Place of Worship Churches at Aldford, , Eccleston, Waverton, Handbridge and a chapel at Churton and Saighton. Village Village Halls at Aldford, Saighton, Hall/Community Eccleston and Churton and two Community Centre village/community halls at Waverton. Facilities Public House Public Houses at Aldford and Churton and two at Waverton. A community public house is set up once a week within Eccleston Village hall. The Waverton Institute also has a members bar as part of it. Services and facilities Survey

Name of Settlement: Aldford/Saighton/Eccleston/Churton– The Grosvenor Villages

Please tick which of the following services and facilities are provided within the named settlement, and where possible mark the location on the attached map.

Fire Station

Police Station

Doctors Accessible Doctors surgeries at Waverton, Farndon, and and the Wellness Centre near Chester Business Park, Health Care (part of the parish of Eccleston)

Dentist

Opticians On the Chester Business Park (part of the parish of Eccleston).

Early Years Held at: Churton village hall and Nursery / Eccleston village hall. Playgroup Nurseries at Waverton and Rake Lane, Eccleston and . Primary School Abbeygate Aldford Junior School. Education Eccleston CoE Primary School. Provision Saighton CoE Primary School. Waverton Community Primary School. Accessible school at Farndon.

Secondary Abbeygate Senior School. School Accessible schools at Christleton, Handbridge, and Kings School, Wrexham Road.

College or West Cheshire College at Further Handbridge. Education Services and facilities Survey

Name of Settlement: Aldford/Saighton/Eccleston/Churton– The Grosvenor Villages

Please tick which of the following services and facilities are provided within the named settlement, and where possible mark the location on the attached map.

Local The Grosvenor Estate has converted employment numerous redundant buildings into sites/industrial employment floorspace. In total, the estates rural estate centred around the villages referred to above, provide 212,000sq ft of employment floorspace within 55 business units Employment with low vacancy rates due to the quality, accessibility and popularity of the floorspace. In total, this combined with jobs directly on the Grosvenor Estate, provide employment for 922 people.

Local non retail There are several local employers businesses within and on the fringes of the villages the Estate.

Please tick Comments / Details e.g. name / (where location / opening times (where provided in applicable) settlement)

Recreation Extensive public open space and play Leisure and facilities for area in Aldford and a new mixed use Recreation Children area proposed for Saighton School and community use. Services and facilities Survey

Name of Settlement: Aldford/Saighton/Eccleston/Churton– The Grosvenor Villages

Please tick which of the following services and facilities are provided within the named settlement, and where possible mark the location on the attached map.

Recreation Youth clubs at Aldford and Saighton facilities for Village Halls. Access to the river also Young People allows for rowing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. In addition, a significant area of accessible woodland known as "The Jubilee Wood" was recently provided by the Estate. The woodland, together with a number of permissive rights of way and public footpaths provide an excellent community resource for people of all ages. This includes an approach to Chester along The Duke's Drive and a riverside walk along the banks of the River Dee. The Eaton Estate itself is also a key community hub holding annual events such as the fireworks display, scout camps, garden open days etc.

Outdoor Sports Bowling green and football field at Facilities Aldford. Eaton Cricket Club. Sports fields at Waverton. Bowling green at Waverton, sports pitches at the Kings School Chester and Abbeygate Secondary school used by community groups

Indoor Sports Indoor bowls, snooker at Waverton Facilities and Aldford, bowling at Waverton and badminton within the village halls. A fitness gym is to be provided at Lea Hall, Aldford for estate employees.

Services and facilities Survey

Other notes and observations

Employment:

There are over 55 "third party" businesses operating from estate premises within the estate villages and wider estate area.

The Estate employs 163 people directly and a number of the business premises on the estate house large employers such as Ellis Whittam at Aldford who, following a major recent expansion, now employ 135 people and are still growing. Brunning & Price are a key employer in Saighton where they have their headquarter offices. They have recently agreed a new lease and currently employ 38 people.

There are 2000 residents in the area covered by the village catchments, principally within the villages themselves.

There are 755 "local business units" in the Estate villages catchment area. This equates to 1 business unit per 3.75 residents which is a very high proportion when compared with the broader Chester catchment area which provides 1 business unit for every 9.4 residents.

The proportion of rural employment opportunities within the Estate villages is therefore very high and a clear reflection on the sustainability of the villages. The Estate have harnessed a number of employment creating opportunities over generations to ensure that the villages remain as vibrant and viable communities, but also recognising the inter related economic, social and cultural link to Chester.

Accessibility:

The Grosvenor Villages are accessible and are on key routes linking the rural areas to the south and south east with Chester.

There is a bus route into and out of Chester along the B5130 with stops at Churton, Aldford and Huntingdon Hall.

There is a bus route into and out of Chester along / around the A41 with stops at Saighton and Waverton.

There is a bus route into and out of Chester along the B5445 and via the old Roman Road from Eccleston with stops at Eccleston and to the west of Eaton Park.

There is also a bus to Reaseheath College from Saighton.

Services and facilities Survey

Travel to Work:

The Estate villages are an attractive and sustainable location to live and work. This is reflected in a higher than average proportion of residents working from home:

- 121 people 12% of the working age population (WAP) worked from home in 2001. This compares with 9% in CWaC as a whole.

- 9.3% of people travelled to work on foot or bicycle in 2001 in the estate villages. This compares with 12% in CWaC as a whole.

On recent developments such as the development of significant additional floorspace at Woodhouse in Aldford and the Old Quarry Building in Eccleston, the Estate has ensured that these developments incorporate key elements, such as Green Travel Plans, workplace showers and secure cycle storage to increase the proportion of people travelling to work by foot or cycle.

12% of WAP travel less than 2km to work and 14% more than 2km but less than 5km to work. This compares with 19% of WAP in CWaC who travel less than 2km to work and 19% that travel between 2km and 5km to work.

Age Profile:

The age profile of the resident population is different from the profile of the Chester as a whole. The Estate villages have a greater proportion of school age children but fewer young adults than Chester.

The Estate villages have a smaller proportion of people in the first part of their working life (25-49) than Chester.

The Estate villages have a larger proportion of people in the second part of their working life (50 - 60/65) and of retirement age than former Chester Local Authority Area (Chester LAD)

Services and facilities Survey

LSOA % Estate villages 2009 % Chester 2009 Variance All People 2041 118,700 0-15 20.5% 17.2% 3.3% 16-24 8.50% 13.10% - 4.6% 25-49 31.00% 32.20% -1.2% 50-59/64 16.70% 15.60% 1.1% 60/65 + 23.40% 22.00% 1.4% Wkg Age 56.10% 60.90% - 4.8%

The most current figures available with regards to age profiles were collected from the villages per household in January 2015 and consist of:

Under 25s: 1.6% 26 - 45: 30.3% 46 - 65: 43.4% Over 65: 24.5%

The Estate villages have a lower proportion of residents of working age than Chester. This is something that the Estate are keen to address to ensure that the villages remain as viable balanced communities for future generations. The Estate is concerned at the moment that the age profile of the village residents is older than the average for Chester and wish to address this through the balanced provision of new homes suitable for younger families, Services and facilities Survey partly through the provision of homes suitable for the elderly which would then free-up larger family houses within the villages. The Estate makes a commitment to house their estate pensioners in retirement and therefore this increases the need to provide suitable housing.

Looking at demographic change in the villages, the population has grown at a faster rate in the Estate villages than in the local authority district but the profile of the population has become more unbalanced in the Estate villages than in the local authority district.

There is a higher growth in the proportion of school age children, but a higher reduction in the proportion of young adults and adults of working age. There is also a higher growth in the proportion of people of retirement age in the Estate villages than in the local authority district.

Household Structure:

The profile of the household structure in the Estate villages is different from the profile of the Chester LAD as a whole.

The Estate villages have a lower proportion of single person households but a higher proportion of all pensioner households than the Chester LAD average.

The Estate villages have a higher proportion of households with no children, dependent children and non-dependent children that the Chester LAD average.

The Estate villages have a lower proportion of lone parent households than the Chester LAD average. Services and facilities Survey

Housing Type & Tenure:

The profile of the housing stock and tenure is different in the estate villages than in the local authority area as a whole.

The Estate villages have a higher proportion of detached houses and a lower proportion of terraced houses than the Chester Local Authority Area as a whole.

The Estate villages have a substantially lower proportion of flats than the Chester LAD as a whole.

There is a higher incidence of households in the private rented sector in the Estate villages and lower levels of owner occupation.

There are a far lower percentage of dwellings in the three lowest council tax bands (17%) in the Estate villages than in CWaC as a whole (65%).

There are a far higher percentage of dwellings in the three most expensive council tax bands (27.2%) in the Estate village than in CWaC as a whole (11%).

The Estate is advancing plans to provide affordable housing and has already identified a number of potential sites that would be suitable to deliver housing in increased numbers. In addition, the Estate currently provides 62 pensioner housing units either on a rent free basis or substantially subsidised.

Infrastructure:

The Estate is working to improve the sustainability of the villages and are in discussions with Connecting Cheshire and BT who are currently progressing a programme of investment to bring a broadband upgrade to rural areas. The second phase of the roll out will see a 24Mbps service rolled out to the key villages of Aldford, Eccleston and Churton by June 2015. In addition to Connecting Cheshire’s roll-out, the Estate is also identifying those properties located within the rural area that will not benefit from this second phase with a view to privately providing a broadband upgrade.

The Estate are also rolling out a programme to improve the sustainability of energy and heating provision within the villages. The Estate have already installed a small district biomass heating system in Aldford. The biomass scheme provides sustainable heating and hot water to four pensioner bungalows which secures economic heating for these key users. It also provides heating and hot water to the estate building, maintainable and forestry complex which is an integral part of the estate.

A small biomass system has also been installed in Eccleston Village which serves 3 units.

Services and facilities Survey

These are initial infrastructure improvements which the Estate will be expanding upon in the future. This requires a positive planning framework and key to this is the need for the Grosvenor villages (Aldford, Saighton, Bruera, Waverton, Eccleston and Churton) to be recognised in the Part 2 Local Plan as a series of linked and integrated "Local Service Centres".