The scheme gained full planning approval this week and homes construction will start when work is finished on the new school campus which is set to be open for the 2020/21 academic year.

Homes England acquired the Fence Avenue campus from King’s School in August 2018.

The deal saw the site being leased back to the school for two years so it could access upfront investment and build its new campus without interruption to education.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes North West will partner with housing association Torus who will also convert the historic school building on the site into apartments for market sale.

Stephen Kinsella, Chief Land and Development Officer at Homes England, said: “This is a significant step forward for the development of Fence Avenue, where our innovative approach has demonstrated our ability to intervene in the market and unlock land for new homes, while facilitating the school’s ambitions for its new campus.

“We’re pleased to appoint Barratt and David Wilson Homes as the developer, who along with Torus will provide a range of homes for the people of Macclesfield, with a significantly higher proportion of affordable housing that originally anticipated.”

Robert Holbrook, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North West, said:

“We will be retaining the heritage of King’s School through the refurbishment of the main school building, which will be converted into apartments, complemented by the development of 273 new homes.”