Green light for Ellesmere Port industrial
Vortex Business Park’s plans for 210,000 sq ft across six buildings off New Bridge Road won the unanimous support of committee members.
The largest of the buildings put forward in the bid for full consent is 114,000 sq ft. The outline plans also include buildings of 34,000 sq ft and 32,000 sq ft, the latter being divisible into two equal-sized units.
A further 18,000 sq ft unit would be divisible into three, with the last two buildings being 17,900 sq ft and just under 10,000 sq ft.
The buildings would vary in height – the building with the largest footprint would also be the tallest, with a top point of 18.5m. Each building would have its own parking, combining for a total 261 spaces.
New Bridge Road is allocated by Cheshire West & Chester Council as an employment growth area.
The 11.4-acre site comprises scrubland to the east of the M53 and Shropshire Union Canal. It sits within the Ellesmere Port urban area and the Stanlow special policy area, and already benefits from two points of access sited off New Bridge Road: Deanes Road and Cook Old Road.
Cadnant Planning represented the applicant, Vortex Business Park Ltd, a Chester company registered in 2021, headed by Catherine and John Pickering.
C4 Projects is the scheme architect. The professional team also includes KGA (UK), Tier Consult, Mode Transport Planning and landscape architect Barry Chinn Associates.
The area is already home to various industrial buildings, with neighbours including Rhino Products. The nearest homes are on the other side of the motorway.
Officers had recommended approval, with a suggested contribution of £270,000 towards biodiversity net gain offsite.
In the same meeting, CWAC’s planning committee voted against officer recommendation to refuse, instead approving Lewis Sky Homes’ proposal for 17 apartments at the RPV timber merchants site close to Ellesmere Port town centre.
