The B5470 Macclesfield Road in Rainow has reopened to traffic ahead of schedule after major repairs to a collapsed embankment between Ginclough and Kettleshulme.
The route had been closed since the hillside and part of the road gave way in January 2025 following significant rainfall. Cheshire East Council said the road reopened today after a complex highway repair scheme involving drainage upgrades, embankment rebuilding and full resurfacing.
The reopening restores a key local route through the Rainow area, easing disruption for residents, businesses and drivers who have faced a lengthy diversion while the road was closed.
B5470 Macclesfield Road open to traffic again
The repaired section sits between Ginclough and Kettleshulme, on a rural stretch of the B5470 Macclesfield Road. The council said the works were originally expected to continue for several more weeks, but highways teams were able to reopen the road earlier than planned.
Some activity will remain on site for a short period while the temporary footbridge used during the closure is dismantled. The main road, however, is now open to traffic.
For local journeys, the change means the direct route through this part of Rainow is available again after more than a year of disruption. The B5470 is an important road for access between communities on the edge of Cheshire East and the surrounding Peak District area.
Why the road had to close
The closure followed a sudden collapse of the embankment and part of the carriageway in January 2025. Cheshire East Council said significant rainfall was a factor, but the repair could not begin immediately because of the location, terrain and condition of the road.
Before construction started, several surveys were needed, including ecological, geotechnical and drainage investigations. During the works, teams also found previously unidentified land drains.
The council said it is suspected that a break in one of these historic pipes contributed to the hillside collapse. That discovery added to the engineering challenge because the repair had to deal not only with the damaged road surface, but also with the stability and drainage of the slope beneath it.
The repair work carried out on site
The scheme involved removing large quantities of material, rebuilding the embankment and improving how water is managed along the road. Cheshire East Council said more than 4,000 tonnes of sand, spoil and old road surface were removed and recycled.
The sand taken from the site was sold to a building company for use in construction. Councillor Mark Goldsmith, cabinet member for highways and transport, said the amount of sand removed also showed why the hillside had been unstable.
| Detail | Confirmed figure or location |
|---|---|
| Road affected | B5470 Macclesfield Road |
| Section | Between Ginclough and Kettleshulme |
| Collapse | January 2025 |
| Material removed and recycled | More than 4,000 tonnes |
| Material used to rebuild embankment | More than 5,000 tonnes |
| New land drains installed | 64 metres |
More than 5,000 tonnes of aggregate and soil were then used to rebuild and strengthen the embankment. The slope has been seeded so it blends into the surrounding landscape, with the council noting that this section of road lies within a national park.
Vegetation was cleared along the affected stretch, and the road was fully resurfaced as part of the wider scheme.
Drainage upgrades for heavy rainfall
Drainage was a central part of the repair because water movement is believed to have played a role in the original collapse. The council said 64 metres of new land drains have been installed, alongside new surface water drainage gullies and headwalls to improve water flow.
Additional manholes have also been added so the drainage system can be inspected and maintained in future. Those changes are intended to make the road more resilient during periods of heavy rainfall, particularly on a hillside route where underground water can place pressure on the road structure.
Cheshire East Council response
Councillor Mark Goldsmith thanked residents, local businesses and road users for their patience during the closure, saying the repair had caused significant disruption but was unavoidable after the hillside gave way.
He said the collapse happened without warning and left the council with no option but to close the road, stabilise the hillside and rebuild the carriageway.
“The scale of this project is reflected in the volume of materials removed, recycled and installed on site,” he said.
Works will continue briefly while the temporary footbridge is removed from the site.
Source: Cheshire East Council
Source check Source trail
This article is based on Cheshire East Council's published update on the B5470 Macclesfield Road reopening.
- Confirmed the road named in the source as B5470 Macclesfield Road.
- Matched the affected section to the route between Ginclough and Kettleshulme.
- Kept repair figures to the council's stated quantities for removed material, rebuilt emban...
- Identified remaining disruption as temporary footbridge removal only.
- Source
- Cheshire East Council
- Scope
- Rainow
- Updated
- 2026-05-29 16:39
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