Warrington progresses Garven Place sale

The council’s cabinet is to approve disposing of the town centre site to bring forward a boutique hotel, spa, restaurant, housing, and a public car park.

The 1.4-acre site off Sankey Street and near the town hall includes a former clinic and car park along with two listed buildings, the 5,000 sq ft Bank House and 86 Sankey Street, which covers 4,500 sq ft.

The council has been assembling the land around Garven Place for some time, having bought the former NHS clinic on the site in 2009 as part of a land swap deal.

Bank House has been vacant since 2014 when the Golden Gates Housing Trust moved out, while 86 Sankey Street is part leased; the council has started discussions about moving the tenants elsewhere as part of the sale of the site.

While the council had invited expressions of interest by March this year, it has now decided to progress with the sale, and appoint a preferred developer for the site.

The council’s ambition is to bring forward a boutique hotel, restaurant, spa, and swimming pool within the existing listed buildings, and develop residential apartments on the site.

A provision of the sale includes retaining an element of public parking within any proposed scheme.

Warrington’s cabinet has been asked to sign off the sale next week; following this, a preferred developer will be asked to draw up a planning application, before the final disposal of the site is confirmed next year.

A report to cabinet said the scheme would “provide a high-quality development on a strategic corner site adjacent to the town hall” and would “bring back into use two landmark buildings within Warrington”.