Designs revealed for Ellesmere Port transformation
Consultation events are being held in early June on the plans, which will see the town’s bus station replaced with a public service hub, while existing council offices will be demolished.
Under the proposals, Cheshire West & Chester council’s offices on Civic Way and the existing bus station will be knocked down. The new public service hub will be built on the latter site, next to the Mercer Walk entrance of the Port Arcades shopping centre.
The capital cost of the project is cited at £16m and will be supported by £7m from the Cheshire & Warrington LEP.
Council staff are set to relocate from the Civic Way offices to the new service hub once it completes; the Civic Way offices site will then be developed for housing.
Buses are set to be rerouted to a new interchange along Civic Way under the plans.
Subject to planning approval, the scheme is due to get under way later this year, with the project completing in 2021. Alongside Vinci as main contractor, Pick Everard is the architect while Avison Young is planning consultant.
Buses will be relocated to a new interchange on Civic Way
Two consultation events on the designs are being held, both at the Port Arcades shopping centre. The first will take place on 1 June between 10am and 2pm, while a second will be held on 4 June in the same location and time.
Cllr Richard Beachman, cabinet member for housing, regeneration, and growth at Cheshire West & Chester Council, said: “This building will be in the heart of Ellesmere Port, providing a hub for a range of important public services including; community safety and crime prevention, housing support, employment, skills and learning guidance, welfare and benefits support, and health and wellbeing.
“All of these services will be brought together under one roof, in an open, friendly and accessible space, to make life easier for local residents.”
The proposals form part of the wider masterplan for Ellesmere Port which was signed off by the council earlier this year.
A second phase of the masterplan is to accommodate two GP surgeries and community health services in the vacant 22,000 sq ft TJ Hughes unit at 2-4 Mercer Walk; this option is currently being explored by the NHS.
The former B&M Bargains site, described as a “blight on the town centre”, is also identified for redevelopment under the masterplan and is set to be demolished, although the council warned it “may be difficult to deliver viable commercial development in the short term”. Redevelopment of this site could include food and drink uses.
Why decide to fix something thats not broken, everything works well as is! Great bus depot why destroy it … Use the 7 million to improve things for human beings
By Roy J
“public service hub”. Ok, I give up, what is it? “Bus station” I understand, “offices”, “shops”, yes, yes fine get all that too. “Public service hub”? Not a clue, is there some reason this has to be dressed up so that its use isn’t clear? This usually means one of two things – either its something that the public don’t want/need or there is someone at the council with too much time on their hands trying to be clever. Let’s just have a clear explanation in plain language that doesnt need a translation.
By d
May 31, 2019 at 8:46 am By d
It means council office with space for, perhaps, police, NHS and other public services.
By the light of the moon
16m could be put to much better use, so the buses a that little bit further from the shops, that will be just great for people with limited mobility but I suppose the council will have a nice new pad.
Waste……just a complete waste.
By Mike
Such an awful waste of money, no wonder we’re paying one of the highest council taxes in the country. All you ever do is build, cause disruption, knock down, cause disruption and repeat. Wicked.
By Disgusted
CWAC wasting money on unnecessary projects.What a shock.
By John Williams
Yet again another PURE waste of rates when everything is doing ok except public services and roads, perhaps they’ll build a Mosque next for the growing population of non Christians!
By Tony Duncan
The residents of ellesmere port a dead set against this plan the council are not interested in what we think yet again politicians who dont listen
By L Holland
Walk past all the empty shops in town to get to the ‘ heart of Ellesmere Port’ a brand new public service building which will probably be one of the few buildings with people in it by the times its built as most of the others will be closed!
By Angie
We don’t need new bus station what we need is shops and cheaper rates to keep them in the port Iv never see a dirty town You would not invite people to visit this town
By M Dunn
Well that fall out shelter they built under the civc way office is goingbto be a total waste of money , all this coucil seems to do is waste money on pointless exercises
By Mark l
Take a walk from the bottom if the town straight up whitby road take a good hard look at whats around you .run down tatty dirty thats the impression people get .And you want to waste money on new council offices I would say you have your priorities wrong .whats wrong with you people open your eyes.look at the money wasted last time on the redevelopment in front of B & M and the old woolworths an absolute mess glorified skate and stunt park/pedestrian short cut .you should be putting the money to better use.Not wasting it shame on you asolutely disgusting ask the people what they would like and take notice.
By Someone who has lived here over 47 years
Isn’t about time whitby
Road was improved it’s the pits.
By J C R Holmes
Do something about the 17 empty shops instead of spending tax payers money on something that is not needed. T J Hughes development sounds good but using B and M building as a food/drink outlet !! Look around the town centre it’s awash with eateries.
By Susan Graham
Fix the garages at the back of Wilkinson Street
By Mike
Absolute disgrace we need descent shops lower the rents in the precinct so the shops can afford to stay open I’m disabled so I need shops plus I live in Westminster and the rd down to the bridge is disgusting rubbish and I saw a rat by where the knot used to be I’m ashamed to say I live there please instead of wasting money on council offices we dont need redevelop the shops
By Pauline woodward
It’s clear that the council aren’t listening to residents. I filled in their questionnaire and made several points about the removal of parking spaces, including disabled spaces, for the proposed bus station. Judging by these plans they’ve not altered them at all. There’s a real lack of provision for disabled residents in these plans and I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that the council aren’t paying attention.
By K Sinclair
As a local resident that has lived here for over 10 years and can use full stops, I can say that this is EXACTLY what the area needs.
Last week another llama ran past my house and spat at my window just hours after I made my husband clean them. This is the fifth time this year that this atrocity has happened.
I have absolutely no idea where these llamas keep coming from (there was a survey done quite recently but they never hit the nail on the head) but we need somewhere for these llamas to run to and spit at.
Anyhoo have to go and get some window cleaner.
By Ellesmere Wart