A clash of Manchester United eras has played out in one of Cheshire's most exclusive neighbourhoods, resulting in a former club legend putting his family home on the market. Mark Hughes, the former Wales striker and current Blackburn Rovers manager, has decided to sell his £6million mansion after losing a planning battle with current United star Michael Carrick.
The Planning Dispute That Forced a Sale
The row centred on Carrick's plans for a plot directly opposite Hughes's long-term home in Mottram St Andrew. The 26-year-old England midfielder bought the property with the intention of demolishing the existing house and building a lavish, three-storey, seven-bedroom replacement. The new £4million mansion is set to feature an indoor swimming pool, gym, cinema, library, and a wine cellar.
Hughes and his wife Jill, 42, formally objected to the plans in a letter to Macclesfield Council earlier this year. They argued the proposed 'Queen Anne' style design would be "completely out of character" and that its scale and third-storey dormer windows would lead to an unacceptable loss of privacy for their home. However, planners rejected their submissions and granted Carrick permission to proceed.
A Symbol of Wider Tensions in 'Footballer Belt'
This personal dispute reflects a much broader and increasingly vexed issue in the affluent Cheshire communities of Alderley Edge, Prestbury, and Mottram St Andrew. The area, often dubbed the 'Footballers' Wives' belt, has seen a significant influx of highly-paid sports stars who frequently buy older properties only to knock them down and build extravagant, modern mansions.
Hughes's decision to sell appears to show sympathy with long-term residents who have protested against this trend. Some locals had even called for a referendum to stop the so-called "Wayne Rooney effect", named after the United striker who demolished a five-bedroom house in Prestbury to build a £4.5m home. That referendum was later scrapped on cost grounds, but a public meeting saw sentiment against the mansion-building trend carried by 176 votes to 11.
Irony and Precedent in a Property Hotspot
There is a notable irony in Hughes's position, however. The house he is now selling – a seven-bedroom property with a leisure complex, snooker room, and huge family kitchen – is itself a significantly extended version of the original home he bought 15 years ago while a player at Manchester United. As local councillor Thelma Jackson pointed out, "He set the precedent."
With demolition complete and work now underway on Carrick's new home, the Hughes family has placed their £6m property on the market for private viewings. It remains unclear if the 44-year-old manager will move closer to his work in Blackburn or seek another property in the region. Hughes's departure from a home he has owned for a decade and a half marks a symbolic changing of the guard in one of football's most famous residential enclaves.
