Cheshire Oaks scheme set for thumbs up in face of Northgate objections

Plans for the enlargement of Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet have been recommended for approval in the face of opposition from the company behind the £300m regeneration of Chester city centre.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning officers are to advise councillors to give the scheme, which promises 313 jobs, the go ahead at a planning meeting on Tuesday, February 7.

If approved the shopping complex will grow from 363,822sq ft by nearly 40,000sq ft including retail and restaurant and café facilities.

However, an objection against the scheme has come from Chester Northgate, the £300m regeneration scheme, approved in October.

A report to the planning committee says: “The council has adopted a town-centre-first approach to proposals for retail and leisure development and Cheshire Oaks is outwith the town centre hierarchy. However, the applicant has demonstrated via a sequential test and impact assessment that there will be no unacceptable impact.

“Consideration has been given to the concerns on behalf of the Chester Northgate project and potential impact on investor confidence for the Northgate scheme in Chester city centre, which is crucial to the council’s key aims for delivering additional non-food floor space in Chester.

“However, the conclusions of the council’s retail consultant (WYG) are that due to the qualitative different nature of the scheme at Cheshire Oaks the development is unlikely to have a significant adverse impact on the delivery of the Northgate scheme.”

The work would start in January 2018 and be completed by October 2018 if approved.