Northwich Development Framework
What is the Northwich Development Framework?
The Northwich Development Framework sets out a joined-up vision for regeneration and the future growth of Northwich. It is a plan for everyone, not just the Council, and will require partnership working and external funding to be delivered.
The Framework is a cohesive plan to ensure that development and investment proposals in the town centre complement each other and benefit the town as whole. It provides a practical toolkit for the Council, its partners and private sector investors to bring forward proposals that knit together and enable the town centre to evolve and grow.
Northwich Development Framework documents
Northwich town centre has seen significant investment over the last 10 years including public realm improvements on Witton Street and the Bull Ring; the £15 million Memorial Court leisure complex - managed by Brio; the £80 million Barons Quay shopping and leisure destination; the £20 million Hayhurst Quay scheme including the Waitrose supermarket; and the Northwich Townscape Heritage Project which saw grants from Cheshire West and Chester Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund invested into the restoration of heritage buildings along Witton Street and High Street.
In terms of future plans, there is a commitment to invest in the renovation of the Northwich library building; to regenerate Weaver Square; to deliver a new market offer for the town; and to invest in more environmentally friendly travel such as cycling and walking. There are also a number of privately owned sites in and around the town centre with the potential to have a positive impact on Northwich, including the vacant Bratt’s department store, land at Tabley Street, land at Locke Street/ Winnington Hill and the British Waterways site at Navigation Road.
There needs to be a cohesive plan in place for Northwich to ensure that development proposals and investment decisions are not brought forward in isolation. It is also important to recognise that high street market trends and consumer habits are changing throughout the UK and there is a need to ensure that Northwich continues to evolve to fulfil its potential.
The Council has a clear focus on its own assets as an initial phase of investment. This includes Barons Quay and the need to fill vacant units in a way that meets local needs and complements the existing businesses in the town. It has also committed to deliver a residential scheme in Weaver Square, to drive retail demand into Witton Street and Barons Quay, to increase footfall in the town centre in the evenings and create a good work-life balance for people living in and around the town centre. As part of both key projects, there is also a commitment to invest in a new market offer for Northwich, with options in Barons Quay being explored. Work is also being progressed to renovate the library.
There will also be a focus on bidding for and spending external funding that has been allocated to the Council. For instance, there is an existing funding allocation from Active Travel England to improve the connection between the train station and the town centre. Options for investing this money are currently being explored.
The Council will also prioritise working with its partners, including private investors, to realise the development potential of other vacant sites within or on the edge of the town centre, such as the former dairy site on Tabley Street, to make a positive impact on the town centre offer and to generate additional footfall in the town.
There has been significant and intensive engagement and public consultation over the last five years on the future of Northwich, with these views going into the final Development Framework. Engagement sessions took place with groups including local ward councillors, Northwich Town Council, Northwich Business Improvement District (BID), Barons Quay management, the Police, and students from Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College.
The engagement sessions gave a clear local picture to gain an insight into the future aspirations for Northwich, to ensure that the Northwich Development Framework reflected the needs of the local community.
Yes. There will be opportunities for people with an interest in the town centre to feed into investment decisions and regeneration proposals in the future as ideas are developed.
All regeneration strategies need to be flexible and adapt to changing market, economic and environmental conditions to ensure they remain fit for purpose. The Northwich Development Framework will be regularly reviewed to ensure it remains relevant.
Everyone has a role to play in making the plans in the Framework a reality, it is not something the Council can deliver alone.
The Development Framework will be a way of conveying the vision for the town and the individual development opportunities.
The Council will not be able to deliver the recommendations of the Northwich Development Framework on its own, nor can it guarantee that all of the recommendations and ideas will happen. This will depend upon joined-up working with other organisations to identify priorities, unpick the complexity of issues within the town centre, take full advantage of emerging opportunities and unlock creative approaches to making things happen. Private sector developers and investors are likely to be significant leads.
Northwich benefits from a variety of active town centre stakeholders including Northwich Town Council, the Northwich BID, the Northwich Rotary, Barons Quay Management team, the Police, and Cheshire West and Chester Council. These organisations already work together as a well-established partnership to deliver events, environmental improvements and other initiatives to drive footfall, increase spend and improve safety in the town centre. These partners will be key to the success of the Northwich Development Framework.
The Council is committed to engaging with private landowners and investors as development opportunities emerge to ensure that they are aware of the aspirations of the Northwich Development Framework to help the Council to deliver on the vision.
Recognising that Council funding is constrained, private sector investment and external funding are going to be required to deliver the projects set out in the Northwich Development Framework. The Framework will help the Council, private investors and partners to secure external funding as it articulates the shared vision for the town.
The Northwich Development Framework is a long-term vision and delivery will need to be phased. Exact timeframes are not yet known.
Timeframes will be dependent on external factors such as market, economic and environmental conditions, and the availability of funding.
The Council will work with its partners to identify projects that can be delivered in the short-term whilst longer term projects are progressed.
The Council’s current focus is on Barons Quay, Weaver Square, and Northwich Library.
Details on timeframes will be provided as projects progress.
The Northwich Regeneration Joint Member Working Group is a cross-party group set-up by Cabinet to provide advice, support and direction for the regeneration of Northwich. It will monitor delivery of the Northwich Development Framework vision. Officers from the Council’s Economic Growth team will liaise with partners to provide updates to the Northwich Regeneration Joint Member Working Group at its quarterly meetings.
Updates on key projects will also be provided on the Council’s regeneration website: