Supermarket at the heart of Baron’s Quay regeneration

6:30am Wednesday 13th July 2011 in News Photograph of the Author By Gina Bebbington

Aerial view of the Baron’s Quay redevelopment site. The supermarket site dominates the picture Aerial view of the Baron’s Quay redevelopment site. The supermarket site dominates the picture

REGENERATION of Baron’s Quay will be kick-started by a huge new supermarket, according to a vision that will go before the public from Tuesday.

The new development framework, which is set to be approved by CWAC’s executive group today, Wednesday, includes 118,000 sq ft of food retail space.

This is alongside 205,000 sq ft of non-food shops, 45,000 sq ft of restaurants and cafes and 70,000 sq ft set aside for a cinema and bowling alley.

Geoff Hope-Terry, chairman of the Weaver Valley Partnership, said: “There has been an independent study of Cheshire retail which shows there’s an un-met demand for food and non-food in Northwich.

“If we don’t address that in Baron’s Quay, there will be pressure from other developers to build an out-of-town supermarket, which would be the kiss of death for the town.”

Clr Herbert Manley, CWAC’s executive member for prosperity, said: “If we get it right, by having food retail here it will help to regenerate town.”

The development is designed to include ‘retail loops’ so that shoppers will pass other shops on their way to the supermarket and will be drawn into the Witton Street area.

Mr Hope-Terry said: “People will come down to areas in front of the supermarket which will lead naturally to other retail loops.

“It’s an easy trap to fall into having a supermarket in a town but it’s self-contained. We’ve designed it to get away from that.”

He added: “It’s potentially a very big site but there wouldn’t be the demand for non-food retail to fill the whole area.”

Clr Manley said that any supermarket wanting to take up the site, which would be the first phase of the Baron’s Quay development, would need to prove itself.

“Supermarkets need to be engaged with the local community,” he said.

“When we come to looking at which supermarket will take that site there will be parameters – what will that supermarket do to enhance the community in Northwich?”

Comments(9)

Gaynor.s says...
12:56pm Wed 13 Jul 11

The largest plot on the proposed development is too big. it looks about the size of 3 Sainsburys. Any Supermarket taking a plot that size is unlikely to sell just food. If it is a one stop shopping destination like the larger Asda's and Tesco's it will kill the rest of the town. Northwich really needs redevelopment, but it is important to get it right, to develop it sympathetically to a Cheshire Market town, not a national clone town.

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winnington says...
9:01pm Wed 13 Jul 11

Wonderful news! Northwich needs bringing up to date. It looks like a ghost town at the moment.

Thank you!

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Louise.h says...
4:48pm Thu 14 Jul 11

Another supermarket is not what we need in this town. Regeneration and bringing the town up to date can be done in many ways, but if you actually asked residents Mr Hope Terry, what they wanted, they wouldn't say that we have 'an un-met demand' for a further 'food' outlet. We have every type of food outlet in Northwich, at least 5 different places to do your supermarket shopping, not including the two in local Winsford, a whole range of non-supermarket food stores and if that's not enough then we have plenty of cafe's to keep us going. What we actually want is places to SHOP!! Not for food, but certainly non-food outlets to supplement our wonderful independant shops and keeping our market town culture. Please ask, but not on a Tuesday afternoon when everyone is in work and can't object, but at a meeting when most of our townfolk can actually attend.

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JL Brown says...
6:36pm Thu 14 Jul 11

It takes rare optimism to propose a retail led regeneration at a time of falling incomes, low consumer confidence and growing unemployment. We are likely to see more people feeling that their standard of living is precarious over the next few years and retailers being ever more conscious about investing in new stores. No wonder Mr Manley tells us this is a long term strategy.

As a strategy it is delightfully free of detail or facts about who the investors might be, what jobs might be created and how durable these jobs might be. We only need to travel 15 miles up the road to Altrincham to see a 'visionary masterplan' that has run aground due to the finanacial crisis and left a half empty shopping mall awaitng retailers to fill it. And the population around Altrincham is far more affluent than that around Northwich. No doubt the Altrincham plan was based on property specultors saying let us build and we will bring prosperity. Doubt if many will be rushing to Northwich to say this.

As Louis suggests, or what I take from her comments, it might be better to be less ambitious and focus on the existing stock of shops and ensure they are filled with independents providing the range of commodities that people want to buy and cannot get elsewhere. This might not have the kudos of a masterplan with a big supermarket, a cinema complex and a bowling alley but it might actually be deliverable.

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Liam Burn says...
3:28pm Fri 15 Jul 11

Brilliant. Another reason to go NEAR to town but not actually in it.

Also very glad that the amount of parking spaces will be reduced.

It was only the other day I was thinking of how bored I am on Northwich's supermarkets and how it would be nice to have another one, particularly one so huge it is in direct competition with all the independent shops in town so hopefully they wil be put out of business, thus paving the way for charity shops which northwich doesnt have enough of.

What would be wrong with tarting up what we have, landscaping the river bank, tidying the carparks, improving the roads, subsidising / reducing rents to encourage new business and sorting out those stinking sewers, as well as allowing some late night entertainment licenses for to some half decent bars?

This is probably Tata's / Brunner Mond's fault (why aren't CHAIN posting here). No point renovating town because we'll all be dead.

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L Byrne says...
7:06pm Fri 15 Jul 11

On this occasion I am not going to disassociate myself from the views expressed above by the guy who gets a kick by trying to pass himself off as me.
I happen to agree with his comments about what can only be described as a daft scheme to 'develop' the centre of Northwich.

I am also grateful for his mention of TATA because it prompted me to point out here that the illustrations used in the newspaper fail to show the incinerator chimneys which would be visible from the town centre or the toxic emissions or the lorries trundling towards Lostock full of garbage for burning.

Thanks for the reminder Liam Burn, Lostock, whoever you are.

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Sue Statham says...
11:13pm Fri 15 Jul 11

Poor, sad, shabby Northwich. Is the idea to brush the old town to one side and forget about it, and then to have a nice, new Northwich just a stone's throw away?
Surely a much better idea would be to address all the problems that we have in the existing town. Empty shops, problems with sewers, and a pervading air of shabbiness which seems to hang over the whole area. If there's money to be had, let's put right the wrongs and take some pride in our town, and please,no more endless groups and partnerships that spend months and months discussing what can be done, but, in the end, do absolutely nothing.

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basilcat says...
9:11pm Mon 18 Jul 11

More consultations and artists impressions! I'm sorry, but every time I hear about the latest scheme to regenerate Baron's Quay I sigh in disbelief. It doesn't take a genius to see that the current shopping centre is on its knees, without the need to start building new property on the outskirts. If there are big retailers wanting to invest in the town (and I doubt that too), then why not just knock 3,4 or 5 empty units in the precinct into one big shop(s)? We need to better use what we've already got. The precinct area hasn't moved with the times, looks old & tired and has hardly had any investment since it was originally built in the 1960's. With some investment (like a roof!) and maybe a commitment from some medium to larger size businesses to open up in Northwich, life could be brought back into the MAIN shopping area.

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tracy manfredi says...
12:56am Sat 23 Jul 11

It is great that the vision is moving forward but even I have reservations about the kind of shops we need. I think more fashion, clothing and accessories are needed, quality toy shops, more range of children's clothing, together with leisure facilities and cafe bars along the waterfront something that maximises what Northwich could have to offer with enthusiasm and carefully placed investment. I reiterate the long term vision is the kind of investment required, however focusing on simply another supermarket may not create the style and image we strive for in the town. If it is the lower end of the Market and cheap clothing im not sure it would help achieve the longterm vision of attractiveness and quality, although it would provide the region with serious potential employment in a sector that fits better with the long term vision than an incinerator in the town.

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