Sandbach, a Cheshire market town

Sandbach is surrounded by the communities of Elworth, Ettiley Heath, Sandbach Heath and Wheelock. Set amongst the green dairy farmland, producing milk and the famous Cheshire Cheese. The main railway line between Crewe and Manchester runs through the West of the town, with the M6 and Junction 17 plus the Motorway Services to the East.

Sandbach is a compact old town situated about five miles from Middlewich at the junction of roads leading to the Potteries and from Crewe to Congleton. In it there are a number of picturesque old buildings and also Saxon crosses. Elworth and Wheelock, situated about a mile from the old town on the Middlewich and Crewe roads respectively, are industrial villages within the urban district. They were once separate entities, but modern ribbon building has linked them with the town centre.

It is a busy area having for its chief industries diesel lorry building at Elworth and Sandbach, brine pumping and salt manufacture at Ettiley Heath, and the manufacture of textiles. Provision has been allowed for the enlargement of the well-established lorry and salt works, whilst an area along the railway, south-west of the town between Elworth and Wheelock, has been earmarked for future development as a light industrial estate, in order to reduce dependency on these two predominating industries.

The districts total population of about 8,500 is slowly growing and the area is well suited in every way for a more rapid development. In the event of its selection as a reception area for people displaced by redevelopment of large towns, accommodation for 10,000 is proposed by a consolidation of the existing sporadic development to weld it into a compact area, capable of easy division into neighbourhood units. Indeed when this zone has been properly applied with appropriate open space wedges, there is a balance of land sufficient to accommodate a limited further growth.

Open space provision has been made along the banks of the River Wheelock's tributary from Wheelock to Offley Wood. Another recommended open belt at Wheelock, and running northwards to cross Middlewich Road, will link up with the existing playing fields and simplify division of the urban zone into neighbourhood units when detailed plans are ultimately prepared. Care has also been taken to secure open space buffers between the industrial and urban zones wherever practicable.

So in the 60 years since publication how much has come true?

The 2001 census gives Sandbach a population of 17,630, so we have grown by 10,000 but not from being an overspill centre - primarily speculative housing developments for commuters to the surrounding industrial and commercial centres - travel to work distances will have multiplied. Our status as a commuter dormitory town was confirmed by the very welcome arrival of Waitrose.

The predominant industries of 1946 have all gone with the diesel lorry building at Fodens and ERF finished in the town, I think the nearest brine pumping is in Warmingham and Middlewich. The industrial area was built next to the railway line in Elworth/Ettiley Heath - but some of this is too close to recent residential housing.

The open space along the tributary to the River Wheelock is now part of the Wildlife Corridor - complete with the Wheelock Bypass running though its length. The other open space provision from Wheelock via Abbey Fields through the Sandbach Golf Club is just about holding out - press reports in 2010 and 2011 suggest that developers are once again trying to build on the Abbey Fields green lung for Sandbach.

And Dobson Chapman are still in business as Architects, Surveyors and Planning Consultants operating from Macclesfield and Crewe.