Will we be part of a northern SuperCity? (From Warrington Guardian)

Will we be part of a northern SuperCity?

THIS could be the future for the north of England according to plans unveiled by architect Will Alsop last week.

The 'SuperCity' makes England's M62 corridor, from Liverpool to Hull, into a singular entity: a huge 'coast to coast' expanse of some 80 miles long and 15 miles wide in which present day city limits are blurred: a reinvention of the city's identity.

With advance transportation systems in place, the inhabitants of SuperCity could choose to live in Hull, commute to work in Liverpool, shop in Leeds and go clubbing in Manchester, all in a day.

Alsop's vision is for new settlements along the M62 corridor to create a new 'urbanism' without spoiling the existing landscape.

He also proposes to ban private cars on the M62 so commuters would have to travel on the marvellous bus service he has envisaged for the north of England.

Will Alsop said: "I'm fascinated by the way people live their lives and how we might want to live in the future. The spaces we create to work, rest and play are critical to this as are the methods we use to travel, shop and develop our agricultural environment.

"SuperCity aims to break down conventional barriers to thought by constantly asking 'what if?', and then converts these thoughts and visions into tangible realities which I hope will intrigue and inspire visitors in equal measure."

But while Alsop's SuperCity is an imaginary project, a form of the SuperCity could become a reality in the future. John Prescott last year announced plans to develop a SuperCity stretching along the M62 to create a huge block of economic power to rival London.

The North West Development Agency has been busy drawing up its own plans for the so-called Northern Way.

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said: "It is an interesting conceptual idea and it is a very good example of looking beyond the box.

"What is does show is that places like Warrington are attracting a lot of interest in terms of economic development."

And with Omega, Modus and Cheshire Lines already in the pipelines for Warrington, the town's role in any future supercity will be key.