£7.5m plan to transform Chester’s historic Cathedral Quarter

Feb 18 2010 Chester Chronicle

£7.5m plan to transform Chester’s historic Cathedral Quarter

THE first phase of radical plans for the transformation of Chester’s historic Cathedral Quarter has been announced.

Vital to Chester’s reinstatement as an international tourism and cultural centre, the £7.5m project will re-model the area to provide an ideal setting for the city’s top heritage destination.

The cathedral, Cheshire West and Chester Council and Chester Renaissance have combined to drive a project it is hoped will attract an extra 130,000 visitors a year.

Phase one will be centred on the medieval cathedral and its immediate precincts with designs for a new iconic entrance and visitor centre.

“The cathedral is a fascinating and intriguing complex, making a significant contribution to the life of the city, spiritually, culturally and economically” said the Dean of Chester the Very Rev Professor Gordon McPhate.

“However, it is often said that it is ‘hidden in full view’ and we want to improve its setting to allow greater appreciation and easier access.”

The initial stage of the scheme will also feature internal and external improvements including lighting, heating and a terrace café.

A new flexible stage in the Nave will provide the cathedral – and city –with scope for sustaining a wider range of events capable of housing audiences of between 1,200 and 1,800 people.

And it is hoped to open up areas of the building previously closed to visitors to provide viewing platforms with views of the cathedral and city centre.

Public realm work in St Werburgh Street will create a new square linking the city centre and leading more visitors to the gothic masterpiece, originally erected as a monastery by Hugh Lupus, first Norman Earl of Chester, in 1092.

Cllr Richard Short, executive member, culture and recreation, said: “The Cathedral is one of the jewels of our rich heritage – but it is a jewel that deserves a better setting.

“We are confident this project will result in a major increase of visitors to the cathedral and city bringing considerable economic benefits to Chester and the whole region”.

The cathedral, together with Chester Renaissance special projects team, is currently co-ordinating project management of the scheme, led by Building Design Partnership’s Liverpool studio.

Chester Renaissance chief executive, Rita Waters said: “The Cathedral Quarter is a vital area of historic Chester and we are determined to enhance its potential in a way which will provide a perfect backcloth for a magnificent building.

“This is a hugely exciting and unique opportunity for the city to show its support for its cathedral which will continue to welcome and increase the many visitors it will bring into our city.”

A planning application to both the local authority and the Cathedral Fabrics Commission for England will be submitted in the Spring. Determination should take place by October, with completion of the first phase scheduled for March 2012.