Plans aimed at securing the long-term future of Macclesfield Rugby Union Football Club and expanding sporting opportunities for the wider community have been submitted to Cheshire East Council.
Howard Homes Macclesfield Ltd, part of Knutsford based HBV Group, has submitted the application following close collaboration with the club, which was founded in 1874 and has been part of the town’s sporting life for more than 150 years.
The proposals combine improvements to the club’s Priory Park facilities with an 80-bedroom care home and 22 one and two-bedroom bungalows.
Proceeds from the land sale would fund investment in the sporting facilities, while increased income from the new 4G pitch, improved clubhouse and a new gym would support ongoing maintenance and operations.
The club expects the proposed investment and additional income to support its financial sustainability over the long term.
The plans include an upgraded and extended clubhouse, improved changing facilities, a new gym and a new floodlit 4G playing surface on the main pitch, meeting World Rugby standards.
The new pitch is intended to accommodate approximately 60 hours of use each week, increasing opportunities for training, matches and use by local schools and sports clubs.
New natural turf pitches would bring currently unsuitable land into sporting use, delivering an overall increase in usable playing space.
Securing the club's long term future
Rob Oliver, Commercial Director at Macclesfield Rugby Union Club, said:
“This is about giving our players, members and supporters confidence that the club they care about has a long-term future here at Priory Park.
“Macclesfield Rugby Club has represented this town for more than 150 years. We want the children pulling on a club shirt today to know there will be a club here for them as adults, and for their own children in years to come.
“These proposals would help put the club on a sustainable financial footing and allow us to invest in improvements that we could not otherwise afford. That means better pitches, better facilities for women and girls, and more opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy sport.
“We have a responsibility to look after this club for the next generation. These plans are central to that ambition.”
Improved facilities
The club’s mini and youth section had 340 active members in the 2025/26 season, supported by 64 volunteer coaches and 45 additional volunteers. Improved facilities would support these young players and provide capacity for future growth.
The clubhouse extension would provide new changing facilities for men’s and women’s teams, and increase the number of changing rooms from four to six, and include treatment, physiotherapy and first-aid accommodation alongside new space for match officials.
Improving facilities for women and girls has been a priority in developing the proposals.
A new function room and improved kitchen would provide better facilities for club and community events. A dedicated outdoor events space would accommodate the club’s beer festival, community festivals and other gatherings.
Priory Park already hosts activities including art classes, baby sensory sessions, training courses and charity events, and has established relationships with local schools, sports clubs and healthcare organisations.
The investment would also help address rising running costs and ageing facilities. Energy-efficiency improvements to the existing clubhouse would include replacement roofing, windows and external doors, with solar panels proposed to generate electricity and help reduce running costs.
The sporting benefits would extend to local football clubs.
As well as providing facilities for local, grassroots football clubs the proposals also support the club’s links with lacrosse, with an ambition for the existing artificial pitch to become a national training base for Great Britain Lacrosse.
Walking rugby and walking football would continue to provide opportunities for older people to stay active, while the proposed gym would be open to the public by appointment.
The care home would provide accommodation for older people, including specialist provision for people living with dementia. The 22 bungalows would be designed to meet accessible and adaptable or wheelchair-user standards, with 45 per cent proposed as affordable housing.
New tree planting, landscaped spaces and improved pedestrian links would connect the homes, sporting facilities and surrounding walking routes.
Daniel Keane of Howard Homes Macclesfield, said:
“We’ve worked closely with the club to develop proposals that meet its long-term sporting and financial needs while providing new homes and care accommodation for older people.
“The development would fund substantial improvements at Priory Park, helping the club serve future generations and opening up more opportunities for the wider community.
“The bungalows, including affordable homes, would give people more choice for accessible accommodation locally, while the care home would help meet the need for specialist accommodation, including for people living with dementia.”
“The proposals have been shaped through engagement with club members, local residents and other community users, including an event at Priory Park on 2 March 2026. Feedback helped inform the submitted proposals. The project team will continue discussions with residents and other local stakeholders throughout the planning process.”
Letters of support from the Rugby Football Union and Cheshire County Football Association accompany the application.
The proposals remain subject to planning approval. Application documents can be viewed and comments submitted through Cheshire East Council’s planning portal here (planning reference: 26/3523/FUL).
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Pete Davies | Sugar PR Manchester | pete@sugarpr.co.uk | 0161 399 4507