Place North West Cheshire Development Update

Thank you once again to the Place North West team and staff at Chester Racecourse for a great Cheshire Development Update event.

Julia Hatmaker did a fantastic job of hosting the morning and it was great to see so much respect in the room for the D-Day minute silence.

Panel discussion: State of the market

Caroline Payne, director, Emery Planning Partnership

Jonathan Atherton, director, Savills

Richard Wharton, director, JLL

Ciaran Aldridge, divisional managing director, McCarthy Stone

Andrew Buckley, director, Gascoigne Halman

High's and low's about Cheshire?

High's

• Biggest office letting
• Retirement living
• Range of applications wide diversity of applications
• Training recruitment?
• Resilience in the market?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Low's

• Takings in Cheshire down
• Time constraints?
• When the system goes wrong - local plan allocation tick, recommendations tick, and refused?booo
• Best allocation of land issue?
• Lack of affordable homes?

Snapshot on sectors

• Offices challenging market?
• Industrial mirrors wider northwest higher levels of demand for space rate of supply growth political issues replenishing stock
• Rental growth e.g. 6.35- 9.00 in two years?
• Residential 2023 challenging uncertainty, forecast not great but all changed Jan 2024 serge of activity markets in strong place?
• Shorten planning application more meeting to get on message?
• Not all developers are in it to make a big buck and sell up and move on?
• Green belt vs brown

2050??starts now take future

• High streets will look different convert into residential
• Micro living with communal living??
• Family Co living?
• Alternative fuel sources
• Robotic?
• Population e-commerce growth?
• Driverless vehicle?
• Far greater of the population will be over 65 and make provision for them?
• Sustainability/ NetZero

?

Chris Taylor Progressive Energy then gave a great presentation to fill the room with positivity about energy...HyNet ?

• Carbon dioxide emissions reduction?
• Coal>gas>renewables?
• Low carbon Hydrogen?
• Carbon capture?
• Decarbonise?
• Jobs
• Power that is clean and safe for everyone?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Presentation by Gemma Davies,?director of economy and housing, Cheshire West and Chester Council

• Urban and rural?
• Relationship with other local councils?
• Strong economic base?
• Strong education borough?
• Sustainability goals?
• Inclusion?
• Tacking poverty
• Chester North one city plan framework?
• Soft market testing?
• Long term partnership

Presentation by Steven Broomhead, chief executive, Warrington Borough Council

• Key economic indicators?(Picture)
• Achievements?(Picture)
• Growth and investment?
• Transport investment?
• Adopted Local plan?
• Positive leadership?
• Sub-regional approach?
• Economic intervention falling away?
• Devolution?? Elected mayor or not???
• Cheshire is falling behind?
• Partnership that takes, action not just talk?

Council Discussion session:

Gemma Davies, director of economy and housing, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Steven Broomhead, chief executive, Warrington Borough Council

• Warrington made 1.8billion investment in property not debt long term investment lots of due diligence
• Development creativity and development?
• Retaining assets?
• Housing challenges?
• Local plan call for sights?
• Biggest strength Warrington- geography motorway access, but constraints on land availability. CWaCC- is the people hardworking passionate and committed, partnership approach got a clear plan.??

Panel: Transforming Cheshire

Heather Standidge, associate, Cushman & Wakefield

Sarah Chicken, development manager, Muse

Chris Taylor , head of planning and consents, Progressive Energy

Anna Relph, director, Turley

• Rail?
• How we do future developments in a more sustainable way??
• 350 billion transport fund?
• 19 billion Liverpool and Manchester rail?
• Cheshire and Warrington growth?
• Freight not just people?
• Infrastructure to the stations and bus connections to stations?
• Muse partnerships
• We need local plans and regional plans?
• Skill base great labour market??
• Great quality of life?
• Macro view for sites?
• Supply chains?

Biggest problem - planning efficiency echoed throughout discussions and engagement underfunding of system?

• How big and varied as a county very different challenges in all different parts?
• Local connectivity?

Excited about:?

• Crewe
• Warrington
• Chester

2050

• Destinations not just work building well-being place making on industrial sites
• Sustainable settlements?
• Skills real quality training opportunities?