A COMPANY has unveiled plans to massively expand Parkgate Industrial Estate.

Miller Developments' proposals, which include a car showroom, a two-storey office block, warehouses and industrial units, will swallow up land the size of at least three football pitches.

Devastating

"We are hoping to hear about the permission from Macclesfield Borough Council by late May," said a spokesman.

If approve work should begin at the end of the year - and take nine months.

In all it would create spaces for about 700 cars.

"The impact on Knutsford generally is going to be totally devastating," said Jane Crossen, of Keepers Close.

Miller Developments was awarded the £22million contract to develop the site more than two years ago. Last week their plans revealed that Bentley wanted to open a car showroom and service centre with about 32 staff at the site.

Yesterday (Tuesday) the company was unable to confirm details about its plans for the building, which would have space for 84 cars.

However, spokesman Jon Crossley said Bentley did want to move to from its current Manchester base to Cheshire.

"We feel we belong in Cheshire," he said. "The market is very much in that patch."

The first phase of building includes the car showroom and the office block, which would affect residents in Keepers Close and Mill Close.

Bentley's forecourt would be about 40ft from residents' gardens.

But Mike Street, 37, whose house in Keepers Close overlooks the site, said he would not oppose the development.

"If I was bothered about that I would have bought a detached house in the middle of a field," he said.

"It's not a second-hand car lot, so you're not going to have mobs of people coming down on Saturday and Sunday.

"If they stick to what they're saying it will be okay."

The two-storey office block would house five small companies with space for 84 cars.

Samantha Bacon, 30, and her partner plan to oppose the plans to build behind their home in Hill Close.

Yesterday she feared the new buildings could affect house prices.

"It's going to be a big change because we've been used to not being overlooked," she said.

For almost 20 years staff who work on the industrial estate have complained about traffic jams in Parkgate Lane during rush-hour.

One of the proposed solutions to create a new access road to the site is an underground pass that would link new and old parts of the site to Mobberley Road.

Last week the plans revealed there would be traffic lights in Mobberley Road and a road leading past the showroom and office blocks.

That would eventually be tunnelled under the railway line and linked to Haig Road, which runs through the estate.

Matt Shotton, who owns Luxury Tubs, said workers on the site would welcome better access to the estate.

Second runway

"It can sometimes take 15 or 20 minutes to get out at the moment," he said.

"It's a great idea because it will ease congestion, especially around rush-hour."

But Derek Linaker, of engineering company Millennium, said officials had taken too long to improve the industrial estate.

Two years ago the managing director enquired about moving his company to the new site when plans were still being discussed.

"It was always tomorrow and tomorrow never comes," he said.

During the second phase industrial units would be created with spaces for almost 200 cars.

Oliver Valves, which already trades from the estate, would expand its business into one of the new buildings. Packaging Automation, another of Knutsford's biggest employers, would relocate to the other unit and take on up to 20 more staff.

During phase three more industrial units and warehouses would be built with spaces for more than 300 cars.

Bus Ms Crossen said she was horrified.

"If a brand new industrial estate was being built from scratch there is no way they would get planning permission so near a residential area," she said. "My question is how do we get compensation for that when we are still awaiting any progress at all with regard to the second runway."