Ellesmere Port Hub – starts to take shape this week

Work on the steel structure for Ellesmere Port’s new Hub building started this week.

Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth, Economy & Regeneration said: “As soon as the steel structure is in place, we will be able to see the start of the new building. The steel work will take around eight weeks to complete. There is now a time lapse camera on site so I’m looking forward to watching the building start to appear.  

“The first phase of work saw the construction of the new bus interchange, there is still a little work left in this area, but it has been in operation since November to allow the demolition of the old bus station.”  

The structural steel frame is being erected by Leach Structural Steel Ltd, based in Preston using a 50t crane. A total of 230t of steel will be needed for the frame (enough for 18 double decker buses) with an average of 35 pieces of steel being assembled each day by six operatives.  

The new hub building, and bus interchange are being constructed by VINCI Construction UK, they are part of the Ellesmere Port Masterplan, a 15-year vision for Ellesmere Port.  

The new hub provides the most cost-effective solution to the provision of council and partner services in the town when compared with the alternative of refurbishing Civic Way offices which will be demolished as part of the wider masterplan proposals. This space will then be made available for new housing for families and young professionals to live in the town.

The Government’s Local Growth Fund is funding half of the £16 million project through the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.

Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

By 2021 the Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

Some additional key facts:

• There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England
• The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth.
• LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.

Northern Powerhouse

Some Northern Powerhouse key facts:

• The Northern Powerhouse is a key aspect of this Government’s approach to addressing the productivity gap in the North and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable economy for all parts of the UK.

The government has awarded £3.4bn in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Northern Powerhouse