Work to start on £70m Chester scheme later this month

Cheshire West and Chester Council has confirmed that work will start on the £70m redevelopment of Chester Northgate later this month.

The local authority said the project will be a critical part of economic recovery following the COVID pandemic.

Working with contractor Vinci Construction, the first phase includes a new market and food hall, a six screen Picturehouse cinema and cafes, bars and restaurants.

The council said that despite the current challenges, agreement has been reached which will allow the project to progress, whilst managing risks and following government guidance on social distancing and construction site working.

Work on the main construction phase is expected to start later in May, including the building of a new city centre drainage tunnel.

The scheme is currently expected to open in early 2022, subject to any potential delays as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

The Chester Northgate scheme is overseen by a joint member working group established on a cross-party basis.

After reviewing the impact of the economic situation on the scheme’s finances, the council’s cabinet agreed to give the green light to the construction phase.

As part of the decision taken yesterday the council will set up a city and town centre member working group, to coordinate the approach to all town centre regeneration plans, including the financial aspects.

A financial resilience plan for Chester Northgate will also be developed, to ensure the scheme’s financial commitments and targets can be met.

The Conservative group committee member of the Northgate Members Working Group, Cllr Stuart Parker said: ‘The Chester Northgate project has cross-party support and I am pleased to see all steps possible being taken to ensure work can continue towards achieving our shared objectives for the regeneration of Chester city centre.’

The regional director for the Northwest of VINCI Construction UK Limited, Garry Bowker added: ‘We share the council’s bold ambitions for the Northgate development; we are working tirelessly with our staff, contractors and suppliers to do all we can to keep the project on track and keep everyone safe throughout these challenging times.’

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