Car park expansion mooted for Birchwood offices

An outline application to increase spaces at a ground floor car park at Kelvin Close to 718, from 474 spaces, by building a multistorey facility has been submitted to Warrington Council. 

The project seeks to reconfigure the existing park by constructing a new, five-storey car park. 

The applicant for the scheme is North West Portfolio, a special purpose vehicle owned by developer Emerson Group. 

The group, which owns two office buildings off Kelvin Close – one partially let and one vacant – is taking advantage of the current low occupancy to build the car park in preparation for when the buildings become fully let, according to the planning documents prepared by Emerson Group. 

The applicant is concerned that, should the buildings become fully occupied, there would be insufficient parking provision. 

The first building, partly occupied by Carphone Warehouse, spans 42,500 sq ft while the vacant building two is 50,000 sq ft. 

“It will be extremely difficult to attract new tenants to these buildings without appropriate additional parking provision,” the application documents state.

“At full occupancy, these buildings can accommodate a very significant number of employees.” 

Orbit Developments, part of Emerson Group, is the agent for the offices and Appletons is the landscape architect for the scheme.