Hit-maker Waterman wants Cheshire to be ‘top of pops’
Pop maestro Pete Waterman is to tell global investors at the MIPIM property expo in Cannes today (Thursday, March 16) why Cheshire should be on the radar for investment and business.
The hit-maker who lives in Warrington, has travelled to the Côte d’Azur to speak about the Northern Gateway Development Zone (NGDZ) and HS2, the high-speed rail network linking London with the North.
As well as being a pop mogul with 22 number one singles in the UK, Pete is a keen railway enthusiast and has made Cheshire his home for more than 40 years – despite his work mainly being in London and abroad.
He said: “HS2 is a game-changer, it’s crucial for investment in Cheshire.
“London can’t take any more businesses, it’s virtually at bursting point. Prices of property are astronomical, floor space in an office is premium and at ridiculous rates. If you could travel between London and the North West in effectively one hour, the whole way the country does business and lives will be changed.
“On HS2, a journey between Manchester and Crewe could be around 18 minutes. It would mean businesses would no longer need to cram into London because they can have an office in Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington or anywhere else. It becomes easy to commute all over the UK.”
Waterman will be speaking at event on the Cheshire and Warrington LEP stand alongside the NGDZ’s independent chair, renowned regeneration expert, Jackie Sadek, today (Thursday, March 16).
Waterman added: “The NGDZ, effectively South Cheshire and North Staffordshire, sits at the heart of the UK’s national transport network. It’s an economically fertile area bridging the gap between Birmingham and Manchester and is ripe for growth, supercharged as it is by the massive planned investment in HS2. It’s very exciting to say the least.
HS2 is a new high-speed rail network from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds and is being developed to improve the transport network and boost the economy, for the north and the UK.
Waterman, who was the first ever pop musician to be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music is also brandishing his music credentials for MIPM.
He has made a playlist for the global players to enjoy over the four-day event, which includes ELO, Glenn Miller, Rick Astley and new popstars like JP Cooper, Izzy Bazu and Rag N Bone Man.
He said: “Music is a huge part of our culture and it is the blood pumping through the vein of a country which is on the brink of a prosperous future by linking Cheshire and other regions with each other.
“Just as the HS2 railway will connect people with businesses, music connects people with each other and this is why I have created a playlist for MIPIM.
“We’re talking as investors and people who are going about changing the whole face of Cheshire and the UK.
“But we’re older than people who buy JP Cooper records – the first artist on my playlist, and chosen because new music and the interests of the younger generation should be a huge consideration for investors.
“I’ve put a couple of oldies on there for particular reasons to prove that we still have a good ear for a tune.”
