FCH-designed Warrington hotel approved 

Clifford Christian Estates’ 126-bedroom hotel is located at Centre Park Square, just off Slutchers Lane on a one-acre site currently used as a surface car park. 

Plans for the seven-storey hotel, designed by Falconer Chester Hall, were lodged with Warrington Council last August. 

The development is close to Warrington Bank Quay train station and is to include a 76-space car park. 

Geoff Underhill, company solicitor and spokesperson for Clifford Christian Estates, said: “The approval makes strategic sense for Warrington given the hotel’s proximity to the emerging Bank Quay rail and business hub.” 

He added: “The new hotel marks the next step in Warrington’s transition to a ‘full service’ regional business centre.  Other investments around the town centre are starting to align and I’m optimistic that a different Warrington will emerge from the pandemic era.” 

The hotel proposals align with the council’s aspirations for the area, as set out in the council’s town centre masterplan, according to a planning statement prepared by Zerum.   

The lack of hotels in Warrington “holds back business and economic growth”, the masterplan states.    

Nearby, a £20m highway scheme is under construction to connect the A5060 Chester Road to Slutchers Lane through a new bridge crossing the River Mersey to provide improved connections to the site.   

Mike Gore, director at Falconer Chester Hall’s Manchester studio, said: “The redevelopment of this site offers an opportunity to improve the street-scene and will benefit from the new link road to the town centre.  

“The architectural language was inspired by the buildings in the locality, the metal cladding allows the hotel to complement its surroundings and the large windows provide an active frontage.” 

Layer.studio is the landscape architect for the project. Hydrock, Urban Green, Evolve Project Consultants and Mosodi are also on the project team.