Member Article

Services hub boost for Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port in Cheshire has received a boost to its regeneration process after being selected as the location of a new base for Cheshire West and Chester Council’s corporate service.

CWAC Executive also decided to work with key partners towards the development of options to create a vibrant public sector hub in the Coronation Road area of the town centre.

Part of the Local Government Association/Government Property Unit pilot – the scheme could involve emergency service, health, housing provider and youth service partners.

Current public service buildings, no longer fit for purpose, would be replaced to meet the requirements of public sector partners working together to meet changing service demands.

In 2015, the decommissioning of the EPIC will provide a ten-acre redevelopment site – most of it owned by public sector partners.

Councillor Herbert Manley, Executive Member, Growth and Prosperity told members that the authority would continue to provide locality-based services as part of this developing strategy.

As the model progresses, opportunities for developing new office accommodation to house the expanding business could provide the anchor for town centre redevelopment.

Councillor Manley revealed that a more detailed report on developments which could bring more jobs and investment to Ellesmere Port was due to come before the Executive in January.

A report before members from Charlie Seward, Director of Growth and Prosperity said: “There is a real will amongst partners to explore how we can transform service delivery, release assets and have a significant regeneration benefit on the town centre.”

Said Council Leader Mike Jones: “I think this is the very early stages of delivering a very important strategic plan for Ellesmere Port town centre. We need to be really ambitious about creating a first class public centre hub.

“It will certainly be a massive opportunity to revitalise an area, which is quite tired, and dated. We need to build on the work we’ve done with West Cheshire College to deliver that building, the Academy and the investment that other people are now putting into Ellesmere Port.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .