Uni of Chester to offload Padgate campus 

The university is to sell the Crab Lane site to a residential developer, having relocated its Warrington operations to the town centre. 

“The decision has now been taken to offer the [Padgate] site for sale as a residential development opportunity,” a statement from the University of Chester said. 

A developer will be appointed to “fulfil key university objectives, including construction that meets high standards of environmental sustainability and delivers a positive long-term legacy”, the statement added. 

A formal sales process for the site will begin next week.

The Padgate campus is surplus to requirements after the university opened up two new facilities in Warrington town centre. 

At the £142m Time Square development, the university has opened a unit that will act as the “shop front” of the Warrington campus. 

The Time Square site comprises an information point, study space, breakout spaces for seminars, and a small lecture space for talks and events. 

In addition, the university bought the 23,000 sq ft Mersey Bank House on Barbauld Street last year. 

Work to convert the property, previously occupied by HMRC, into a teaching complex is underway. 

Once complete, the property is to be renamed the Sarah Parker Remond Building, after the black women’s rights and anti-slavery campaigner who travelled to Warrington to give a series of speeches in the 1800s. 

Professor Eunice Simmons, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “Our new University Centre Warrington will broaden the accessibility to the university for both students and the local community whilst benefiting the local economy.  

“The Padgate campus has enjoyed a rich history of which the university is proud to be a part of and we will ensure there remains a positive legacy for the local residents.” 

Warrington Wolves, whose training facilities are currently at Padgate, are expected to remain using the site until November 2023, according to the university.