Approval for Chester rooftop ice rink, silent cinema
IKO Projects will operate the 13,000 sq ft leisure hub set across the top two levels of Pepper Street’s multi-storey car park.
Cheshire West and Chester Council approved Grosvenor Eaton Estate’s plans to transform the multi-storey into a social destination at its planning committee meeting yesterday. This decision was made in line with officer recommendations.
Architect Chapman Taylor designed the scheme, which will create a flexible destination featuring food and drink stalls, as well as an event space in Chester city centre.
The event space has been designed to support a range of sporting, play, social, and cultural activities throughout the year, with proposals ranging from an ice rink to a silent cinema.
With a total capacity of 300 people, the space will also house four repurposed shipping containers with food and drink concessions, including one operated under iKO’s own Liquor and Co brand alongside multiple street food vendors.
This is not iKO’s first venture in Chester. The company operates other venues in the city including The Cabin at Chester Market, as well as The Cabinet Club and Craft & Company off Watergate Street.
Delivery of the Pepper Street scheme will lead to the loss of 69 car parking spaces from levels eight and nine of the car park, along with a further four on level seven to allow for an appropriate turning space. This would lead to a reduction in parking provision from 273 to 200 bays, which will serve the venue.
Planning permission has only been sought for a five-year trial term, after which the site could be reverted back into a car park.
Plans were submitted for the project in April.
The application was approved despite 20 objections regarding the loss of much-needed parking, the impact of noise on residents, and the negative visual impact of the scheme. One petition campaigning for the scheme to be blocked raised concerns about the potential disturbance to local residents and received 209 signatures.
Fisher German is the planning consultant for the scheme. Also on the project team is Virtual Planit, CBO, and Spratt + Hamer.
To find out more about the scheme, search for application number 23/00934/FUL on CWAC’s planning portal.
