It was sold for £25million in 2023 as a grand country manor dating back to Saxon times.
But Adlington estate in Cheshire, it has now emerged, has been earmarked as the site of an entire new town with up to 20,000 homes – infuriating locals.
Camilla Legh, the lady of the manor, pocketed a tidy sum when she sold her family’s home of 700 years to developers – and she could make millions more if the plans go ahead.
The 2,000-acre estate was unexpectedly picked to be the location of one of a dozen new towns, which are being created under a flagship government scheme championed by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
Adlington lies on the edge of the affluent ‘golden triangle’ commuter belt of Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Prestbury, home to multimillionaire footballers and celebrities. Much of the land is green belt, meaning it is hard to get planning permission to build homes.
But these rules are being swept away under the new towns project – to the fury of residents.
The estate forms the bulk of the 2,400-acre site chosen for the new homes. Its centrepiece is the magnificent Grade I-listed Adlington Hall, built by the Legh family in the late 15th century.
The hall was constructed on the site of a Saxon hunting lodge, which became a Norman estate before passing to ancestors of the Legh family via Henry III in the 13th century.
Adlington estate (pictured) in Cheshire, it has now emerged, has been earmarked as the site of an entire new town with up to 20,000 homes – infuriating locals
Camilla Legh (pictured), the lady of the manor, pocketed a tidy sum when she sold her family’s home of 700 years to developers – and she could make millions more if the plans go ahead
The 2,000-acre estate was unexpectedly picked to be the location of one of a dozen new towns. Pictured: Adlington Hall
The Leghs kept it until the 2023 sale to developer Belport.
It is unlikely the hall itself would be affected given its listed status, but the plans will no doubt affect the rest of the estate – which includes six farms, and 22 houses and cottages.
Documents seen by the Daily Mail show that Ms Legh, 65, is entitled to 30 per cent of any net increase in the estate’s value if it is developed ‘as a result of planning permission for alternative use’ – such as new housing – within 30 years.
It means she is in line for a much bigger windfall even if only a fraction of the estimated 14,000 to 20,000 homes are built, property experts say.
Around the site of the proposed new town, where cattle and sheep currently graze, locals are furious. One said: ‘It’s scandalous. Our livelihoods are being taken away – we are producing food for the country on some of the most productive land, on the edge of the Peak District.’
Farmers are worried their land will be taken via compulsory purchase orders. Resident Aysha Hawcutt said: ‘It’s not a Nimby thing. As a nation we need to be worried about the loss of green belt.’
The then housing secretary Ms Rayner launched the project to create 12 new towns last year, as part of the taxpayer-funded £39billion Social And Affordable Housing Programme – a ten-year plan to build 300,000 homes.
Brownfield sites in London and Manchester are also earmarked.
There is no suggestion that Belport or Ms Legh knew about plans for a new town before their deal was struck in 2023.
A spokesman for Belport said it had bought Adlington Hall as a ‘long-term investment opportunity’ and that neither party could have foreseen the new town plan.
The spokesman added: ‘We are very aware that there will be concerns about the impact on green spaces and farmland.’
Ms Legh was also contacted for comment.
