Council approves plans for redesigned residential scheme
Outline planning permission for an eight-storey apartment block, including commercial space, has been approved by Warrington Borough Council.
The scheme will provide 39 affordable self-contained apartments and 112 sq m of commercial space at Stanley Street.
It represents the first residential-led scheme to come forward as part of the town centre Bank Quay Gateway regeneration area.
Developer, Chesro, represented by planning consultants County Planning, submitted plans for the mixed use residential-led scheme in October 2020.
Proposals for tall residential developments elsewhere in the town were heavily criticised by members at a recent council meeting for being overly dominant in the street scene.
Chesro’s architect, DOVE Architecture & Interior Design, revisited previous proposals for the site and has come up with a new eight-storey scheme that enhances the nearby conservation area and listed buildings, while also obscuring the brutalist concrete BT exchange building.
Dan Matthewman, County Planning managing director, said: “There has been a record of significant under-delivery of new homes in the borough over recent years. This scheme will not only provide new homes in a highly sustainable location, but aligns with the council’s town centre masterplan’s vision for new residential development in the Bank Quay Gateway.”
The Bank Quay Quarter forms one of six development quarters within the Warrington Town Centre Masterplan, which will be the focus of a new Central Business District, where major redevelopment proposals, including a new national rail hub, new homes and new jobs are planned.
Matthewman added: “We’re really pleased to be able to move this exciting project forward. The scheme will deliver a high quality gateway building that marks the entrance to the town centre.
“The scheme shows investor confidence in the town and its draw for businesses and families alike.”
County Planning submitted the application and led on all aspects. DOVE Architecture & Interior Design, SCP Transport, Dragonfly Consulting, Redmore Environmental and MB Heritage also assisted on the application.
