THE dramatic transformation of Cockhedge Shopping Centre is well under way.
In just a few months, the town centre site will have a whole new look following more than £3 million worth of investment.
The partial demolition of the centre will not only make way for a residential quarter containing up to 900 apartments, but it will see the mall itself completely renovated.
We sat down with the site owners Michael Brown and Mark Rebbeck who told us all about their visions for the future of Cockhedge.
The duo, who are directors of Altered Space which owns Cockhedge and is known for breathing new life into town centre sites, wanted to make better use of the empty retail space there by turning it into more of a neighbourhood mall.
Mark said: “The driver of what we are doing at the moment is to enhance the retail and commercial offering.”
By July, the Cockhedge site will have a whole new modern and updated look – including a plaza area outside where people can sit and dine.
The shopping facility will remain home to existing tenants, such as Cockhedge Medical Centre, Asda, and Buzz Bingo, which will remain open throughout the whole development process as well as welcoming new businesses of various types such as food and beverage and alternative leisure ones.
Deals have been agreed to fill a number of units, including the former Argos, with hopes of these new tenants being revealed in the next few weeks.
Michael and Mark are also very keen to listen and work with the community with the aim of delivering a retail space that fulfils residents’ wishes.
They are open to hearing suggestions of what people would like to see within the updated development.
“The idea is that the brand we have come up with will hopefully be an overarching one that encompasses Cockhedge as an entire area,” Michael explained.
“Fundamentally, we believe that we will come out of this with a much stronger asset that is more attractive to the local community.
“It will have very much a neighbourhood mall feel to it which will be embedded in the whole community of Cockhedge.”
As well as the commercial element, Michael and Mark also thought it was important that the site helps to deliver on the residential side of things.
Up to 900 homes will eventually be built on Cockhedge, with Michael and Mark looking to seek a partner in April to help them deliver the first development phase which is estimated to include around 300 apartment units.
They are planning on offering affordable accommodation on the site which will be on land owned by both Altered Space and Warrington Borough Council.
Mark said: “It is all about creating a residential quarter and we have done that alongside the council.
“The council have their own site, we have our site, and now we have got the outline planning for up to 900 residential units.
“We saw the benefit of bringing an application together with the council because it created a bigger footprint that we can then have more of an influence over about creating a proper residential quarter with good landscaping and public realm that helps to link the remaining part of Cockhedge to the rest of the town which was important to us."
Michael and Mark want to embrace the history of Cockhedge within the development.
So far, they have visited Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and met with a historian to learn more about Cockhedge’s industrial past.
The duo is also looking to speak to anyone with any connections to the mills which one stood on Cockhedge.
“We’d love to engage with them and hear their stories,” Michael and Mark said.
Anyone interested can contact the mall’s centre manager on georgewesson@cockhedge.co.uk
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