National newspaper identifies Chester as a city vulnerable to the recession

Jun 18 2009 Chester Chronicle

Margaret Thatcher called it ‘the jewel of the North West’ – now a national newspaper has singled out Chester as an example of the effects of the recession. DAVID HOLMES investigates

BARGAIN basement traders are selling discount watches from a former fashion retailer’s premises in Eastgate Street, once known as the Oxford Street of the North.

Nearby are the recently vacated fashion stores Elvi and Viyella. Everywhere are ‘to let’ signs. A few Rows shops are islands of activity in a sea of boarded-up units.

This depressing picture of a city which has lost its way was portrayed in a recent Daily Telegraph article, causing hackles to rise amid those tasked with injecting a feel-good factor into the city.

Journalist Mick Brown recalled how former PM Margaret Thatcher once described Chester as the North West’s ‘jewel in the crown’.

But those in charge of our crown jewels have been accused of failing to keep those gems polished.

One Chester hotelier this week said it wasn’t good enough to blame the recession.

He recently returned from a fact-finding trip to the comparable heritage city of York where he found a bustling shopping centre and no empty shops.

He praised the way York was telling its Roman story through the successful Yorvik centre.

Meanwhile, our politicians allowed a county court to be built over the unexcavated half of the amphitheatre when it could have been transformed into a tourist magnet.

The visitor centre opposite was taken over by Chester Renaissance, which has been tasked with reviving the city’s fortunes.

Bad timing means Renaissance was born during a downturn. Grand ambitions of attracting millions of pounds worth of inward investment have had to be curtailed.

Chester’s £460m city centre regeneration – first called Forum II and now Northgate Development – still hasn’t happened after years of procrastination under councils of all political hues, while the Gateway Theatre replacement remains unsolved.

Neither does Chester have a city centre cinema after the Odeon sold out to a nightclub operator, which is not wanted by the local planning authority.

Chester Renaissance has stepped in to install colourful displays on the boarded-up listed building although chief executive Rita Waters insists her organisation is about more than just window-dressing.

She claims Renaissance was instrumental in securing £1.4m for a second phase of modernisation at Chester Railway Station, which is now linked to a two-hour express service from London.

She argues the Telegraph failed to reflect success stories such as the arrival of the Jack Willis fashion store and the fact that weekend hotel occupancy is up.

She said: “Chester has had more hotel investment than any other historic city in years.”

Renaissance is concentrating on improving the visitor experience by making sure the streets are clean, getting here is not too expensive and security is good.

“We need to make sure people want to shop in Chester and they want to come back,” she said.

There’s a lot of catching up to do. Cheshire Oaks, Broughton Shopping Park, the Trafford Centre and now Liverpool One continue to pinch trade which once headed in our direction. And while Chester sat on its laurels, competitor towns like Shrewsbury, Mold and Wrexham upped their game – to say nothing of the rise of online shopping.

There are reasons to be cheerful – such as the advent of chic venue Oddfellows and mixed developments like HQ, which secured finance before the credit crunch, which will bring more residents and visitors into the city.

And a brand new council led by an unrivalled Conservative leadership provides opportunities to come up with radical solutions playing on our strengths as a quaint and unique centre.