Town centre revamp goes before planners (From Warrington Guardian)

Town centre revamp goes before planners

MAJOR plans for the transformation of Crewe town centre will be considered by planning bosses this afternoon.

The multi-million pound scheme would see the building of a modern bus station, a flagship Debenhams department store along with new shops, bars and restaurants.

The plans also feature some 200 new homes, a multi-storey car park and new 'high street'.

The project would boost the town's retail pulling power with a range of three and four-storey buildings featuring stores on the lower levels and apartments above.

The shops would front onto Queensway and Victoria Street and a new, partly covered, pedestrianised high street running through the scheme to the new bus station.

Part of Delamere Street would also be pedestrianised, providing a link from the new high street to Market Square.

Amongst the major concerns about the impact that the plans would have is increased congestion and traffic levels in the town.

A spokesman from the county council's highways department said: "Crewe is anticipated to experience continued levels of traffic growth due to the planned levels of economic development and regeneration in and around the town.

"This represents a highway network already at or above its operational capacity.

"The impact of adding the development traffic associated with the application is, in overall terms, marginal."

The scheme would include some 840 new parking spaces on five storeys, accessed by a new link road from Victoria Street, with footbridges to the car park spanning the new shopping street.

The plans would also see both Delamere House and Wellington House bulldozed and replaced with a single nine-storey office building along Chester Street.

The new bus station would be built on land now occupied by the Crosville Social Club and would include a travel information centre, waiting areas, public toilets and a retail outlet.

Responses to a questionnaire issued by the developers said the plans would bring the town to life at night, would update the town's image and attract more people.

Others expressed fears of over-development, insisted the war memorial should be put back where it was and said that the bus station would become a 'mugger's paradise'.

A council planning spokesman said: "The scheme also includes additional food and drink uses such as cafes and restaurants.

"This will not only complement the retailing uses but will increase the attractiveness of the centre during the day and evening and help create a more vibrant town centre."

The borough council's development control committee, which meets in Crewe today, looks set to refer the plans to the full council.