Chester Renaissance – the story so far...

May 9 2008 by Miranda Newey, Chester Chronicle

Riverside and Brook Street

The new Riverside Promenade extending from the Groves (right) around the Racecourse to Crane Bank will be completed in May 2008. Improvements to the Walls Route on Castle Drive and to Northgate Street are already complete. Enhancements to Brook Street to make more of this street and improve the pedestrian link between the railway station and the city centre will take place later in 2008.

Grosvenor Park

The master-plan for the remodelling of Chester’s showpiece public park, emphasising its connections to the amphitheatre and River Dee, is complete and was submitted for Heritage Lottery Fund support. If successful implementation will take place 2009-12.

Chester Walls

Plans to improve the maintenance of the walls (right) and enhance them as a critical feature of the city are under way. A conservation management plan has been produced and a European Interreg bid for enhancement is being prepared for submission in 2008.

PROJECTS STARTING IN 2008/9

Cathedral Quarter Master-plan

A major project to plan the 50-year future of the area around the cathedral (left) which covers 20% of the city centre and contains many of Chester’s finest buildings and public open spaces yet is significantly under-used by local people and visitors.

Rows Management Plan

A management plan to direct how Chester’s medieval two-tier city centre streets can play their full part in the Chester Renaissance.

Chester Greenways

Projects to link the Riverside Promenade with Tower Wharf, create a new pedestrian and cycle crossing across the River Dee and extend the Sustrans cycleway into the heart of the Cheshire countryside following the success of the national Connect 2 project, where Chester was a key partner, in the Peoples’ Lottery.

Telling Chester’s Stories

Chester’s new Interpretation Plan will help the city make the most of itself by working out how and where the best stories from its 2,000 years of history should be told.

Tower Wharf

A major development led by British Waterways to create a new canal-side destination featuring restaurants, cafe-bars, apartments and offices.

Delamere Street

A £34m development in the heart of the city to create a vibrant new centre featuring shops, apartments, offices and a new enclosed public car park.

New Hotel Developments

The Queen Hotel (right) opposite the railway station will complete a new development of 87 luxury rooms and suites by September 2008 and a new 120 bedroom Premier Inn on City Road is under construction. Travelodge, Pitcher and Piano and Pizza Express are confirmed 2008 openings in the new Exchange development.

Chester Roman Amphitheatre

A unique development opportunity to make the most of the newly learnt story of what was Britain’s most important and elaborate Roman amphitheatre (right). A developer competition is scheduled for 2008.

Northgate Development

A £460m project to transform an unappealing quarter of the city centre by providing new streets and open spaces, new shops (including an enormous House of Fraser Department store), restaurants, homes, a new performing arts centre, market and library.