Winsford town centre: Behind the scenes of £22.5m redevelopment

Work is underway on phase one of the £22.5m regeneration project, which has been funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Government’s future high street fund. It is the biggest investment in the town centre shopping area since the 1960s.

The Guardian was recently given exclusive access to the site to view the latest progress. Accessing it via secure turnstiles with facial recognition cameras, the Guardian was shown the latest developments, including the literal groundwork, new utility connections for electricity, gas and water and steel framework for a drive-thru Costa Coffee - which will sit at the corner of Dene Drive and High Street.

Gareth Leek, Kier Construction Project Manager, and Cllr Nathan Pardoe (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Nathan Pardoe, cabinet member for inclusive economy, regeneration and digital transformation, said he was pleased with the current rate of progress.

He said: "It's on track and I think it'll be really good news for Winsford. It's more than the sum of its parts and it's putting the heart back into the town centre. That's what's been missing."

The current work being undertaken by Kier Group involves demolishing buildings deemed no longer fit for purpose, such as Queens Parade and Fountain Court. A 168-space car park is being built and will include electric vehicle charging spaces.

A new open public spaces will host pop-ups, events and entertainment and more than 50 new trees will be planted to link to existing green spaces such as the Town Park.

The framework for the Costa drive-thru (Image: Kier)

It was the council’s acquisition of the site in 2018 from private owners which enabled the authority to undertake the project, and part of the plan was to help future proof the development against changing shopping habits - with a wider acceptance that they can no longer be purely about shopping, but have a mix of things to do such as dining and entertainment.

Cllr Pardoe added: “People's habits have changed in town centres now. It’s been functional for years, you could come to Winsford town centre but you wouldn’t stay. To make town centres thrive you need places to go.

"The civic square is a really big part of the development, but it's something that I think people can't possibly appreciate until they're actually sat in it."

Artist impression of what the finished development will look like (Image: PR)

Cllr Pardoe added that working with the Royal British Legion and Winsford Town Council, the two war memorials will be refurbished and relocated within a new public square in front of the library.

He said: "What will happen next year is they'll be moved and restored as well, in a sensitive and appropriate way, and then put back into a new civic square.

"And we'll have got a space that can have more people on Remembrance Sunday all year around. It's that sort of quality of space that wasn't there."

Future milestones will see the Costa shell unit due to be completed and handed over to the tenant for its fit-out in Spring 2024.

The open spaces and public square are expected to be completed in Winter 2024. The B&M shell is due to be handed over to the tenant early in 2025 for fit-out.