Plans revealed for Chester’s former Quicks site

Once put forward by Steve Morgan’s Bridgemere for an apartment block, fresh proposals have been filed for the Lower Bridge Street site, including a car park, retail, and a row of townhouses.

A sale process has been ongoing for around 18 months, with Legat Owen instructed. The asset offers 47,971 sq ft over three floors, with rooftop parking.

Now plans have been validated by Cheshire West & Chester Council for a redevelopment in two parts, from locally-based developer and entrepreneur Adam Thwaites. NSC Planning and Garry Miller Heritage Consultancy are advising.

The first application covers the conversion of the former car showroom area fronting Lower Bridge Street, vacated by dealership group Quicks in 2007.

As it stands, the site has capacity for 68 cars, but with conversion to a multi-storey car park this number would increase to 150. The two retail units would offer a combined 6,326 sq ft.

As set out by NSC, “the proposed development seeks to deliver a high-quality and visually enhanced reuse of the existing building, providing additional city-centre parking provision while introducing active retail frontages at street level.

“The scheme represents a sustainable redevelopment of previously developed land, avoiding demolition and enabling the existing structure to be brought back into beneficial use in the short term, in contrast to a new-build multi-storey car park, which would typically require a much longer period to plan and deliver.”

NSC added that the proposal has been designed to respond sensitively to the historic context of the Chester City Walls conservation area.

The residential element of the redevelopment calls for demolition at the rear of the site, and six townhouses to be built fronting Duke Street. Each would have two parking spots and three bedrooms.

As described by NSC, while the main building is of sufficient quality to justify conversion rather than replacement, the rear section of the site “currently comprises a redundant, poor-quality extension and hardstanding area of limited architectural or functional value”

Thus, “its removal presents a valuable opportunity to introduce high-quality, sustainable residential development that respects the established character of Duke Street and contributes to the city centre’s housing mix”.

Previous talk of development by Steve Morgan’s Bridgemere group at the Quicks site has stirred interest, with the site enjoying a prominent city centre location, surrounded by leisure uses and sitting a short distance from Chester’s racecourse.

Bridgemere submitted plans in 2018 for a 48-apartment project, but the application was never determined, and was withdrawn last year.

The twin applications for the new proposals can be seen on CWAC’s planning portal, references 26/01689/FUL and 26/01690/FUL.