Omega to get new masterplan

A NEW masterplan is being devised for the Omega site in Warrington.

The site, which has been touted as a strategically-important economic development site for many years but has suffered from a lack of activity, is finally said to be “receiving real investor interest”.

Omega had been in the hands of the North West Regional Development Agency for many years and approval for a business park on the site was granted in 12006.

However, it has failed to attract interest from proposed tenants and developer Miller last year indicatewd that it would look at a broader range of uses for the scheme, including converting part of the site into a residential development.

However, writing in the latest Warrington Annual Property Review, council leader Ian Marks and chairman of the Warrington&Co public-private partnership Peter Crompton said that this year would “see the agreement of a new masterplan for this reguionally important site and some development actually starting on the ground”.

The revision of the masterplan will “retain the character and essential features of a high quality business park”, according to the report, but will involve the creation of more mixed-use elements on land at the southern side of the M62.

“There is some interest in Omega North, which is likely to be on stream first providing industrial and warehouse accommodation of up to 149,000 sq m.”

As with other parts of the region, the speculative development market for business parks and other out-of-town units is described as “A thing of the past” but the report argues that prospects for the town centre remain positive.

Five potential developers have bid through an OJEU process to lead the redevelopment of the town’s Bridge Street Quarter, while the Golden Square shopping centre is also said to be performing well.

The industrial and logistics market in the town enjoyed a spectacular reversal in fortunes – climbing from a record low in 2009 top a record high last year when more than 140,000 sq m of space was let to occupiers, with Asda and The Hut Group both taking up significant amounts of space.

Warrington’s office market had a poor year, however, with the amount of floorspace let hitting a record low of just 9,031 sq m. The residential market also remained sluggish, but a decent overall economic performance by the borough led to more development in the leisure sector (with two new hotels being proposed) and in the investment market.

Property sales in Warrington reached a four-year high of £81m, with the £36.5m sale of the Ministry of Justice’s new building at Birchwood Corporate and the £14.2m sale of Royal Mail’s Warrington Mail centre leading the way. 

Andy Farrall, Warrington Borough Council’s  executive director for environment and regeneration, said: “The word ‘regeneration’ doesn’t really appear any more in what we’re trying to do.

“It’s about economic growth, both in the sub-region and Warrington itself.

“We’ve focused on key sites in the town centre and some from outside, like Daresbury and the Omega Site, that can make a difference.

“The criticism has always been that Warrington has business space but nothing else, but that is changing. The Orford Park project is coming to fruition, which is a major Olympic legacy project, Decathlon start onsite with their store next month and the council will be choosing its partner for the major development of the Bridge Street Quarter in June this year.”