Stopover no more: How Warrington Bank Quay will turn the town into a destination

Warrington is on the cusp of a transformation, with the advent of Northern Powerhouse Rail lining it up for millions of pounds of investment. The council and combined authority are not going to let this opportunity pass them by.

The £45m Northern Powerhouse Rail’s second phase will centre on a new Liverpool to Manchester line with a new station at Warrington Bank Quay, unlocking £90bn of regional economic uplift in the process.

Both Warrington Council and Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority are ready to make the most of this opportunity.

Enter the new vision for the area around Warrington Bank Quay station.

A place to stay

Warrington Bank Quay is about leveraging the benefits of the high-connectivity rail network, while also providing people with a reason to get off the train, exit the station, and spend some time.

That is where proposals like those for HS2 got it wrong, said Steve Hunter, director of place for Warrington Council.

They made it all about the journey, not about the place. Regeneration was an afterthought, rather than the focus.

That will be different for Northern Powerhouse Rail and Warrington.

Warrington Bank Quay’s masterplan is proof.

The masterplan reimagines the 306 acres around the train station as providing up to 4,500 homes and 2m sq ft of commercial floorspace.

Warrington Council Leader and member of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Board Cllr Hans Mundry dubbed the masterplan a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

“This is far more than just a transport upgrade, it is a catalyst for major economic and social regeneration that will shape our town for decades to come,” he said.

The masterplan, drafted with the help of WSP and AECOM, is still in its infancy.

“It is very much a first draft,” Hunter said. “This is an indication as to what you could achieve and an illustration to help the wider strategic case making for NPR.”

Expect a place to live, work, play, and, yes, catch a train for a quick visit to Liverpool or Manchester if you so desire.

Think Liverpool One, the Meatpacking District in New York, Brindleyplace in Birmingham. That is the scale of aspiration for Warrington Bank Quay.

Hunter’s team want the town centre of Warrington to be a vibrant, bustling place filled with quality restaurants, shops, offices, and homes.

More footfall. Higher density. Longer visits.

It is brownfield land given new purpose. It’s a destination, not a stopover.

AECOM and WSP are working on the Warrington Bank Quay masterplan. Credit: via Warrington Council

Collaborative thinking

Importantly, Warrington Bank Quay is not being crafted in silos.

Collaboration with national government is baked into the vision from the get-go.

The development’s advisory board is made up of not just the council, but the Department for Transport, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Business and Trade, and Homes England. The Treasury is involved.

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority has a significant role to play too, uniting the region’s three local authorities in a singular vision for the county. Next year, there will be a Mayor in place, ready to champion Warrington Bank Quay on the local, national, and global stage.

There is buy-in from government on all levels, a shared vision, and a desire to make it succeed.

National support is critical because Warrington Bank Quay is not just a project for Warrington itself. Its impact will go beyond that.

“Warrington Bank Quay is a regionally significant project with the potential to transform not only Warrington but the wider Cheshire and Warrington economy,” stated Lawrence Wilson, interim director of transport at Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority.

“As one of the North’s most important connectivity and regeneration opportunities, it will strengthen links between our businesses, communities and jobs markets, helping to unlock investment, housing, create high-quality jobs and support growth,” he continued.

“The scheme builds on Warrington’s strategic location at the heart of the Northern economy and will play a vital role in ensuring Cheshire and Warrington remains a competitive, attractive, and well-connected area to live, work and invest. Warrington Bank Quay is a catalyst for economic regeneration and a key driver of long-term prosperity across the sub-region.”

Huw Merriman, chair of the Liverpool Manchester Railway Partnership Board, echoed Wilson’s sentiments and elaborated on the impact of the new Liverpool to Manchester railway line itself – not least the fact that it puts Warrington residents within a 15-minute journey of 250,000 jobs.

“The region’s leaders are promoting this project as not only a much-needed express railway linking Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester and the region’s two airports, but also as an engine for growth,” Merriman said.

“With Cheshire and Warrington becoming one combined authority, the entire line of route will have novel powers and the vision to bring on the new homes, jobs and skills which will be co-designed with the railway delivery.”

Early stages

Nothing is set in stone except Warrington’s potential.

Hunter knows some may say Warrington and the combined authority are jumping the gun preparing for a rail line that has not even begin route consultation – and one that has had as many false starts as Northern Powerhouse rail.

“There have been false dawns,” he conceded. “This one doesn’t feel like a false dawn. This feels a lot more real.”

He pointed to the £1.1bn commitment during this Spending Review on the project, and the budgeted £45bn for the entire scheme.

When the green light comes on, Warrington will be ready to act. It wants to have Warrington Bank Quay’s vision shovel-ready, so to speak.

But change is not contingent on NPR.

With or without the new line, Warrington still boasts high rail connectivity.

With or without the new line, Warrington’s town centre has potential. The multi-award-winning market is still there.

Development is still happening – not least the latest from Habiko, the joint venture between Pension Insurance Corporation, Muse, and Homes England, which has planning permission for 240 homes in the town centre.

Hunter and his team want investors and developers to know that they are committed to this vision for the future of Warrington. Warrington’s town centre has their focus, and their doors are open for those who want to be part of this journey.

Hear more about Warrington’s potential and the wider investment opportunities in Cheshire and Warrington. Register your interest in attending the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Launch Conference on 26 June.