City makes big Cannes debut

CHESTER has made its MIPIM debut with a presentation about investment opportunities in the city – and Guy Butler, the developer who chairs the Chester Growth Partnership, has pronounced himself delighted with the reaction.

“We worked with Cheshire West and Chester Council to create an investment map to showcase the long established financial services hub here but also companies which have either moved here more recently, such as Bristol Myers Squibb and Tetra Pak,” said Guy Butler.

“With the arrival of the 70,000sq ft One City Place by Chester railway station we’ve taken the first step in the creation of a new business district in the city centre.

“There is much more to come. Current investments in the city  total around £700 million and we’ve outlined the vision that by 2028 Chester will offer up to 500,000 sq ft of Grade A Space.”

Anna Duffy, a founder of DTM Legal, one of the Chester firms which helped finance the event said: “We’ve had a very encouraging response from a wide range of businesses and investors.

“The creation of more new Grade A office space in Chester will undoubtedly help attract in businesses and encourage those already here to flourish. But there are also investors, developers and occupiers interested in Chester for new hotels and retail.”

Nick Desmond, managing director of Bride Hall Real Estate Partners, one of the co-investors in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, and which is delivering the new Dining Quarter in Chester’s Pepper Street, said: “It’s great to see that Chester has a new focus and have galvanised itself.

“There is strong interest from the occupier market in the redevelopment of Chester The end game is about more jobs and making Chester an even better place to live and work.”

Chester’s presence at MIPIM was supported by Muse Developments, Marketing Cheshire, Influential, Redrow, DTM Legal and Glenbrook Property.