Full house for Warrington Town Deal proposals
All seven projects put forward for the programme have been approved by government, unlocking £22,1m of funding.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has officially approved the business cases for each of Warrington’s seven projects.
Warrington’s Town Investment Plan was submitted in 2020 by Warrington’s Town Deal Board, a group of business, political, leisure, cultural, community and education leaders.
The seven projects are:
• A purpose-built bus depot, funded by the Town Deal, Warrington Borough Council and the Getting Building Fund. Work is now under way on the depot, which by 2023 will have the capability to support an all-electric fleet of buses.
• A digital enterprise hub, which will support digital innovation across all disciplines – including artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality, ecommerce, gaming and automation.
• A health and social care academy, which will offer opportunities to build a social care workforce in Warrington fit for the future. Identified as a Town Deal fast-track project, the academy at Warrington & Vale Royal College will train the next generation of health and social care professionals in Warrington.
• A health and wellbeing hub, where people will be able to access a range of services under one roof.
• An advanced construction & civil engineering centre, which will support the engineering, construction, nuclear and allied industries.
• A remastered cultural hub at the Pyramid, improving the arts centre to become a place that will nurture the arts professionals of the future, providing a modern and flexible creative space to collaborate, produce, present and perform
• A comprehensive active travel programme, putting in place the right infrastructure to encourage more walking and cycling throughout the town centre.
Chair of the Warrington Town Deal Board and managing director of Muse Developments, Matt Crompton, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news that of all of the funding is now in place to deliver our Town Deal programme.
“These projects came about following extensive public and stakeholder engagement, and the Government’s approval of each of our seven business cases is validation that the proposals we have put forward are the right ones for Warrington.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our Town Deal programme continuing to progress at pace in the months and years ahead, with a range of partners working together to deliver some truly pioneering projects which will bring massive benefits to Warrington for generations to come.”
Work started last week on the bus depot project. Credit: Warrington Council
In July last year, North West communities secured up to £486m of the £3.6bn Town Deals programme, with Warrington among that first cohort.
Warrington Council leader Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “The confirmation of this funding shows real recognition in our vision for Warrington and paves the way for us to drive ahead with these seven transformative schemes.
Together, they will have the power to positively impact all of our residents in different ways, enriching lives and helping us build a better future for our town.”
