We’ve scoured the Chronicle archives once again, and this week have gone back 10 years to see what was happening in Chester in December 2007.

This was the month that Leona Lewis was number one in the charts with Bleeding Love, the top films at the box office were I Am Legend and American Gangster, and here in Chester, the price of a two bedroom terraced house with garden and attic in Hoole cost £179,950.

One of the big stories of that week reported that an exclusive £3.25m hotel, bar, restaurant and private members lounge called Oddfellows was to open on Lower Bridge Street the following spring - a venue which has since become one of the city centre's most popular and distinctive.

Described as a ‘pioneering establishment’, this was a major coup for Chester - boosting the city’s long held ambition to become a ‘must see’ European destination.

We also highlighted a campaign to save the Northgate Arena from being demolished and replaced with new leisure facilities at the Greyhound Retail Park. Concerns for the building’s future arose when a bid to get it listed failed - but the centre is still going strong 10 years later!

Chester Chronicle December 2007


And the Northgate Development was still rumbling on 10 years ago as we reported fears that the city regeneration scheme was under threat due to the ‘global credit crunch’ - with a minimum two-three month delay expected as the city reeled from the recent closure of the Gateway Theatre. A decade later, we are still waiting for the development to get under way but at least we have been able to celebrate the opening of Storyhouse in 2017.

There was also a debate about whether or not the existing Cheshire County Council and Chester City Council should be scrapped and replaced by two separate unitary authorities - something which did come to pass with the creation of Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council in 2009.

Chester Chronicle December 2007

Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Andrew Miller said it was a ‘reasonable supposition’ to assume the cabinet committee responsible had backed proposals to split the county into West and East Cheshire councils but deputy city council leader Stephen Mosley was against the plans, saying: “If we have unitary government, 500 jobs in the west of the county will be lost.”

Issues of the day in Chester Chronicle from December 2007

Over at Chester City FC, Stephen Vaughan made a shock decision to quit as chairman and director of the club after feeling unappreciated and being ‘frustrated’ that his commitment wasn’t matched by the city’s football fans.

Chester Chronicle - December 2007