I feel sorry for Cheshire West and Chester Council. There, I’ve said it out loud and I’m going to stick to my opinion.

I agree, that’s not really a position I take very often, but my particular support for CWAC is over the Barons Quay development and the fact it is reported to have lost more than £1.5 million last year.

It looks very much like the council is going to have to fund the shortfall from its reserves and hope it can recoup its losses at some point in the future when the scheme becomes profitable.

According to Local Democracy Reporter Stephen Topping, the council took in £1.235 million in rent in 2018-19 but spent £2.819 million on operational costs, loan interest and costs for the empty units. That means Barons Quay made a £1.584 million loss last year There is some good news on the horizon though, with talks currently progressing for six new tenants at the £80 million shopping centre, which opened in 2016.

In the report issued to cabinet, CWAC officers said that ‘deficits are likely to accrue’ in the early years of Barons Quay due to the empty units, but that it is expected ‘these deficits will be repaid’.

Losses worth £400,000 have already been covered by CWAC reserves which were previously set aside for Barons Quay.

Cllr Richard Beacham, cabinet member for regeneration and growth, said: “It’s no secret that the decision to build Barons Quay was taken at a time when the retail environment was very different from the challenging one we’re experiencing today.

“That’s why our investment in Barons Quay needs to be a long-term commitment to the future of the town. As is usual for developments of this type, we anticipated that there would be deficits in the early years that would need to be repaid by future surpluses.”

Well said Cllr Beacham.

Now I’m not one to say that Northwich people are moaners or have short memories, but a quick look at the online comments about this report seem to indicate that Northwich people are moaners with short memories.

Take, for example, Northwich First, who wrote: “As predicted by the public before a brick was laid, BQ is turning out to be a financial mess and residents are being forced to pick up the bill for the CWAC numbskulls.”

Or maybe Chesnews can throw some light on the problem, writing: “If you look at the original user spec and technical specs they were just all wrong! for its time! and the people of northwich new it!

“This mess is totally on CWAC door! the problem is the people who make these wrong decisions come and go in councils! and then its the local people who have to pick up the mess!”

And henry street seems to think it is problematic as well, writing: “They should never have built Barrens Quay. It was a suicidal gamble with the money of those who can least afford it on a vanity project that will be a millstone for years to come.

“I really don’t know where it will all end, it’s such a monumental Horlicks of biblical proportion encompassing both old and new testaments. We can’t turn back the hands of time so there’s no point in moaning about it.

“We are all lumbered with a very expensive pig in a poke that is not required.”

And finally, good old L Byrne had his (or her) say: “The mention of ‘deficits will be repaid from surpluses in later years’ is a load of total steaming cobblers that would be laughable if it was not council taxpayers hard-earned cash being flushed down the loo.”

First things first, it’s not the current CWAC administration’s fault and secondly, I would bet a pound to a penny that the people who are quick to moan about Barons Quay are the very same people who whinged and whined that Northwich was the poor relation, that no money was ever spent on improving the town’s infrastructure.

To start with in 2004, the land Barons Quay stands on had to be stabilised given it is on top of the old salt mine workings.

Then after that remarkable feat of engineering, it had to be left for a year to settle before any building work could take place.

Then there was a problem with insurance liability and the Government had to underwrite any building work.

Once all this was out of the way by the mid 2000s, Vale Royal Council had a viable plan for Barons Quay, a developer lined up and tenants ready to move in.

And then what happened? The Labour government decided to reorganise local government, Vale Royal and all its plans ceased and CWAC had to start from scratch.

Throw in the banking crisis of 2008, years of Tory austerity, internet shopping and the death of the high street and we are where we are.

My advice to the people of Northwich: Stop moaning, be glad you have had some investment in the town and back the retailers at Barons Quay. The problems are not of CWAC’s making but the solution could be in your hands.

 

By Guardian columnist the Fly in the Ointment