Baron's Quay plan is the future of town's development (From Northwich Guardian)

Baron's Quay plan is the future of town's development

8:50am Sunday 26th December 2010 in News By Gina Bebbington

By GINA BEBBINGTON THE man leading the regeneration of Northwich is looking forward to revealing new plans for the town in 2011.

Geoff Hope-Terry, chairman of the Weaver Valley Partnership Board, has promised an announcement about the Baron’s Quay site in the spring and is appealing to developers to come on board while they still can.

“Baron’s Quay is the most important site in the town because it dictates everything else that happens, in planning terms,” he said.

“I think everyone knows that the financial crisis has had a severe impact on the original ambitions for this area, but we were determined to pull it back on track.

“Extensive discussions have been taking place with the chosen developer and we expect to come forward with the new proposals in the next few months.

“This will then unlock the potential for other sites in across the town.”

He added: “As we open up access to the river frontages it’s going to become a very attractive place to be.

“Now’s the time to start investing, before someone else beats you to it.”

Geoff said the biggest problem the Weaver Valley team has faced so far is the future warranties connected to the mines stabilisation work.

“This has been a huge task and a very impressive piece of work led by our partners, the Housing and Communities Agency,” Geoff said.

“However, before anyone can build on the areas above the mines we need to ensure that adequate warranties are available so that developers can get insurance cover at an acceptable price.

“That means we have to complete a two-year monitoring programme to check for any undue ground movement.

“Although there’s still a year to go, the results so far are very positive.”

The Weaver Valley Partnership Board was formed six months ago and during this time has been working on setting out its priorities for Northwich.

It has brought a number of inherited projects to fruition, including the Weaver Valley Canoe Trail, the Riversdale Bridge project and consultation on town centre design.

The team is also working with Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) on leisure and cultural facilities and the town’s road infrastructure.

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