Ambitious new home plans for Chester city centre

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve the process to engage a developer partner for the next phase of Chester Northgate and continue the transformation of the city’s core by increasing the number of homes in the city centre.

The first phase of the Northgate development saw the completion of the hugely popular and award-winning new Chester Market, restaurants, cinema, car park and office accommodation.  

The second phase is for the development of new high-quality homes and improved connectivity of the site to the existing Northgate development and to the wider city centre. The development would also include high quality public spaces plus associated uses to support the vitality and viability of the scheme.

The Northgate phase two area includes the former Forum shopping centre and offices, Hamilton House, Merchant House, Goldsmith House and former Gateway Theatre. Covering the size of almost 3 football pitches, the potential of the site to create a new residential community offers a once in a generation opportunity to bring new life in the heart of the historic city centre.

Bringing households back into central areas has several long-term benefits; they generate economic growth which will support businesses, provide sustainable city centre living and inclusivity of place.  It is also extremely beneficial from an environmental perspective to house residents close to places of work, shops and entertainment.

Councillor Nathan Pardoe, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation said:

“This is the exciting next chapter in the story of Northgate. The next phase of development will build on the successes of Storyhouse and the new market by creating a new residential living quarter in the thriving heart of Chester. Delivering on the ambitions of the One City Plan, we will create high-quality homes, support local businesses and grow our local economy by creating a new community of residents living in the city centre.

“The Council will begin engaging with a preferred development partner in early 2025, and will continue to work in partnership with key stakeholders through the One City Plan working groups to ensure that this next phase of development meets the needs of Chester.”

The procurement route will be a fully Public Contract Regulations compliant process which would aim to secure a partner with a good track record in local authority partnering, development expertise and strong financial standing to form a long-term collaborative relationship with the Council to deliver the best outcome for the site.

It is anticipated that the procurement exercise will be a two-stage process: the initial stage takes the Council through soft market testing to the Pre-Development Agreement and the second stage will take the Council to the Development Agreement.

The Council’s Cabinet will also be considering the engagement of a developer partner for Weaver Square in Northwich at next week’s meeting.

For more information on the Chester Northgate development visit:

https://chesternorthgate.com/

https://www.chesterinvestmentprospectus.co.uk/northgate-future-phases

Pictured - Northgate Phase Two area.