CWAC pushes on with Winsford Industrial Estate expansion

Following a £5m funding deal in April this year, Cheshire West & Chester Council is set to sign off proposals for an expansion of Winsford Industrial Estate including 340,000 sq ft of warehouses and a 14,500 sq ft hotel.

The council set aside £1.8m earlier this year to kick-start the development, the first phase of which featured a 125,000 sq ft manufacturing facility for Tiger Trailers. Contractor Bowmer & Kirkland is nearing completion on this part of the scheme, which covers around 17 acres.

CWAC has now moved forward with the second phase after securing £3.8m from the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and the council’s partner Public Sector Plc, a private sector company which formed a limited liability partnership with the council to attract funding.

This second phase is an industrial-led mixed-use scheme featuring a 240,000 sq ft warehouse; a 14,400 sq ft hotel; a petrol filling station; a retail unit and a food takeaway. There will also be a 6,000 sq ft pub as part of the proposals.

The council’s hybrid application is divided into eight plots; the non-warehouse development has been grouped together on one site, along with 12 industrial units ranging between 20,000 sq ft and 5,400 sq ft. The second plot sits alongside Tiger Trailers’ site and features a warehouse of 250,000 sq ft. Both plots will be accessed via Road One via a proposed roundabout junction.

The land on which the development sits is designated as employment land under CWAC’s Local Plan.

The proposals, drawn up by architect Corstorphine + Wright, are set to be approved when the council’s planning committee meets next week. Recommending the scheme for approval, council planners said: “The proposed development would result in the creation of a substantial amount of industrial and warehousing floor space which would make a significant contribution to the availability of such land within the Winsford area and the Borough as a whole, and provide significant benefits to the local economy.”

The professional team also includes planner Q+A.