Warrington Borough Council announces £52 million town centre regeneration plan
 
 
WARRINGTON Borough Council today announced its proposals for a £52 million plan to revitalise the traditional retail heart of Warrington town centre in Bridge Street.
 
Subject to a public consultation process and ratification by the council, the scheme will create a new family-friendly shopping, restaurant and leisure experience with a contemporary market hall at its heart.
 
Other key components of the scheme will comprise a state-of-the-art multiplex cinema and a new civic centre.
 
The new market will be built on the site of the former Boots building on Bridge Street, thus preserving and making a street front entrance feature of the Grade II listed brick façade. 
 
The 3.4 hectare (8.4 acre) development site extends from Bridge Street and across the existing Time Square development and includes the site of the existing market.
 
The project will be delivered by Warrington Borough Council with development partner, Muse. Muse was chosen by Warrington Borough Council as partner on the scheme because of their established track record of delivery in mixed-use town centre regeneration projects across the UK.
 
A phased programme of site development over the next five years will create up to 400 construction jobs and 400 new permanent jobs in the leisure, retail and restaurant sectors when fully completed in 2018.
 
A £400,000 programme of landscaping and environmental improvements to improve the appearance of Lower Bridge Street is already underway to be completed prior to Christmas 2013.
 
Subject to consultation, ratification and planning approvals, the first construction phases of the project will start on site in Autumn 2014.
 
It will be necessary to deliver the scheme in two construction phases in order to minimise disruption for the market traders. The first building to be constructed on the site of Time Square will be fully equipped and fitted out to serve as a two-year provisional home for the market to allow the existing, outdated market hall to be demolished and the new market hall to be constructed.
 
Warrington Borough Council says it will continue close engagement with market traders in order to minimise disruption to their trade whilst the new market is built and ensure the continued vibrancy of the award winning market.
 
This scheme is a key development area as identified in Warrington Borough Council’s framework for growth, Warrington Means Business.
 
The project has been driven and will be managed by Warrington & Co., which was established to act as a partnership between Warrington Borough Council, business leaders and key organisations as a business friendly interface to deliver regeneration strategies and facilitate growth in the town.
 
Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council said,
 
"This is a tremendously exciting moment for our town and a huge step forward in its regeneration and renaissance. Getting to this stage has been difficult and has taken time because of all of the different land and business interests involved in the project but I am very proud that we have finally reached this pivotal moment.
 
"This scheme, complemented by the Stadium Quarter scheme and the potential of the Cabinet Works initiative, will herald the start of a return to a revitalised, vibrant town centre. Our vision, as set out in our regeneration framework Warrington Means Business is to re-stimulate, re-energise and re-populate the inner town.
 
"The opportunity to create a new market offers a tremendously exciting proposition not only to create a world-class market facility safeguarding its long-term future but also to bring the magnificent former Boots façade back into use.”
 
Matt Crompton, joint managing director of Muse Developments, said: "Muse is keen to get started on the Bridge Street regeneration scheme, working closely with Warrington Borough Council, to deliver this transformational mixed-use project. We believe that it will greatly enhance this part of the town centre and bring wide-ranging benefits and growth. This announcement about the market hall proposal is an important and exciting step in the process.”
 
Steve Pickering, Warrington’s markets manager, said: "This regeneration project is a new milestone in the long and successful history of Warrington Market that will secure the market’s long-term future. The new market hall with its entrance onto Bridge Street will offer a stunning, high profile entrance on the high street for shoppers and help stimulate and re-energise.”
 
Businesses, stakeholders and the public are invited to view and comment upon the outline plan to undertake a two-phase move of the market hall.