A SOFT play area and mezzanine café is set to become the next addition to Barons Quay, after a planning application for the facility was submitted.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s major projects team has lodged with the planning department a ‘change of use’ application for a pair of units between H&M and Odeon.

The tenant, which the council says has an ‘already successful visitor attraction in Cheshire’, will bring a ‘unique soft play facility’.

Along with a 868sq m area for soft play, a mezzanine level will be installed along with a café of 347sq m floor space. The frontage would face the River Weaver near River Park.

Northwich Guardian:

The unit at Barons Quay has remained empty since its completion in November 2017, but would join Asda, Odeon, Wildwood, H&M, Sports Direct and Card Factory at the £80m development.

A planning statement said: “Though there have been a number of successful lettings for retail uses and leisure most notably Odeon, H&M and Sports Direct the scheme is not fully let and remains 40 per cent vacant.

“In order to meet with the changing nature of retail and the leisure markets the demand is now for more family-based activities including soft play and indoor leisure activities such as crazy golf.

“The soft play use is seen as a key element for Barons Quay and provides a selling point that will bolster other uses including retail and food and drink through the foot fall it will attract in.”

Six members of staff would operate the soft play centre, which it is proposed would open from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

Visitors would use the existing 929-space multi-storey Barons Quay car park.

CWAC added that approving the facility will provide an active shop frontage, and support footfall through Barons Quay and the town centre thus boosting existing food, drink and leisure retailers.