Masterplan to transform the Ellesmere Port town centre has reached a key stage with plans submitted for a new services hub and bus zone to provide local people with easy access to essential public services
Councillor, Richard Beacham, cabinet member for housing, regeneration and growth said: “This is really great news for Ellesmere Port. Once complete, this modern and energy efficient building will be a new home 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.
Bringing these services together, next to the new bus zone, the market and all of the shops will also be good for the town centre and will hopefully make life easier for local residents.
“Thank you to the residents that dropped in to see the plans during the exhibition last month, the project team were really pleased with the responses. The plans can still be viewed in the Council offices, library and Sports Village. This adds to the wider consultation about the future of Ellesmere Port which took place last autumn.”
Half of the £16m project is being funded by the government’s Local Growth Fund, through the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.
Christine Gaskell CBE DL, chair of Cheshire and Warrington local enterprise partnership said: “This investment of £8.3m Local Growth Funding in to the town centre comes on top of three other significant investments by the LEP in Ellesmere Port this year. Our investments at Hooton Park, Newport Business Park and Helix Business Park have secured another £20m of private sector investment, all of which are on site now”
The Masterplan found the existing bus station to be larger than it needed to be and proposed that Civic Way is used as an ‘on-street’ facility with new passenger stops along its length.
The Masterplan also includes the future demolition of the existing Civic Way Offices, which will be replaced on the upper floors of the hub building, providing the most cost effective solution to the provision of council services in the town and to the wider borough because of the higher costs of refurbishing the existing buildings. This space will then be made available for new housing for families and young professionals to live in the town.
Subject to planning consent in September, work is scheduled to start as early as October for a 2021 opening.
The Council’s 15 year vision for Ellesmere Port has seen development projects totalling nearly £1.2bn since 2011; which is forecast to rise to £2.8bn. Over 2,000 jobs have been created and Ellesmere Port has planning consent for 5,550 homes.
