Welcome to Greater Crewe

With the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority in play, Crewe is getting a much-deserved rethink, with a focus on not just the town centre but where it sits in a broader regional picture. 

Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Greater London – devolution thus far has taken cities and invited the public to expand their borders (figuratively). It is a subregional approach to masterplanning and delivery. So why not Greater Crewe? 

That is the question posed by Cllr Michael Gorman, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council and a board member of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority. 

“We’re moving into a period where we’re trying to think of Crewe as a city – a new small city region and that will require a city region masterplan,” he said. 

The combined authority enables the council to think big and masterplan at scale, by bringing together the public and private sector partners on a bigger footprint across a wider economic geography rather than a hyper local one. It also brings a single, strong voice for sharing the council’s bold and ambitious vision with government and wider partners, including investors. 

It also means that the economy of Greater Crewe can be defined in terms of planned priority quarters and corridors to integrate key investment frameworks supported by existing and new infrastructure and services. 

“The Greater Crewe concept brings into place all that the borough and the combined authority have to offer,” Gorman said.  

Positioning Crewe as a major priority investment opportunity backed by the combined authority puts the town on the radar for government and global investors, he continued. It says: here is a potential city and masterplan, with strong public and private sector support – something everyone can get behind and make happen. 

“It allows us to talk to people with confidence and ambition,” Gorman said. 

“We are in lock step with the combined authority. I expect the new Mayor who comes in 2027 will also recognise the importance of Crewe and the work of the combined authority and we’ll go on from there.” 

Bentley Motors is headquartered in Crewe. Credit: via Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority

Building from strength

Gorman describes Crewe as a “sleeping giant.” 

It is a place with enormous potential and opportunity to grow. Crewe, he added, is blessed with being one of the best-connected towns in the country. It is a major hub for freight and for passenger travel. 

“More train operators go through Crewe than anywhere else outside London,” he pointed out. 

If former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham pursues a parliamentary campaign promise, there may soon be HS2 making its way through the Cheshire Plain. 

High Speed Rail is a gamechanger that will accelerate the Greater Crewe plan. The connectivity with London and with Manchester International Airport and the wider North could potential triple the size of the Cheshire and Warrington economy. 

There is also a highly successful knowledge-intensive economy and world-class businesses at Crewe’s doorstep – with Bentley HQ located its heart. 

Add to that the regeneration work already being down in the town: such as the soon-to-complete Cheshire Archive Crewe facility and a landmark Youth Zone as well as the completed regeneration projects creating an outdoor cultural space at Lyceum Square, remodelling the grade two-listed Market Hall, replacing the bus station and adding a multi-storey car park. This shows that the town is already turning a corner. 

Cheshire East Council has been driving change in Crewe for years, shaping a vision and ambition for the town’s next chapter. 

“We’ve got strong momentum behind us,” Gorman said. 

Then, the final part of the jigsaw: Leighton Hospital. Leighton Hospital sits on the outskirts of Crewe and is part of the government’s £60bn New Hospitals Programme. But the new Leighton Hospital will not just be an ordinary hospital – it is set to be a pioneer and pathfinder, showing how integrating technology into care can improve patient outcomes and drive operational efficiencies. 

Building the hospital itself is a £1.4bn endeavour. 

“The supply chain, the houses, and the community that is needed to support that hospital brings huge opportunities,” Gorman said. 

Leighton Hospital is in wave one of the New Hospitals Programme. Credit: via consultation documents

Healthier Futures

There is a reason the new Leighton Hospital project has the title “Healthier Futures.” It goes beyond just a building. 

“The development of the new Leighton, and our wider ambition for a health and care neighbourhood, is a £1.4bn investment and the single biggest infrastructure programme in mid-Cheshire for decades,” said Ian Moston, chief executive officer of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

“To put the scale of construction into context: at the peak we’ll be spending around £1m per day. There will be up to 1,300 workers on site, eight to 10 HGV deliveries per hour, and six cranes in operation. 

“The impact of our programme will be huge.”  

Moston referred to the project as a “once in a generation transformation to the way services are delivered.” He noted that the hospital will be among the most digitally enabled in the country. That new tech will bring with it new career paths and job opportunities. 

The build programme itself will be a major driver of regional growth with. The Trust has a strong a commitment to engage and develop local supply chains, with a goal of keeping 20% of the project spend in the North West. 

Already, the Healthier Futures programme has delivered £1.2m in social value, Moston said. 

“We also recorded over £30,000 pledged in funds and in-kind donations, the creation of 40 new jobs, as well as reaching 981 students through STEM enhancement activity,” he continued. 

“As our project edges closer to construction, we expect the scale of these benefits to grow significantly.” 

While the combined authority is not directly involved in Leighton Hospital, the Trust noted that it has a strong role to play in improving public transport and promoting active travel around the hospital and Crewe itself. 

“Better transport links, workforce development programmes, and housing opportunities all contribute to the long-term sustainability of health services,” he stated. 

He added later: “By bringing together councils, businesses, education providers, the voluntary sector, and public services around a shared vision for the future, the combined authority can help create healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities. 

“This alignment of health, economic growth, and public service reform offers a significant opportunity to support the ambitions of both Healthier Futures and the new Leighton Hospital.” 

Cheshire East Council opened the bus station in Crewe in 2024. Credit: via Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority

A city for the people, by the people

Crewe’s 360-degree connectivity is both its point of difference and one of its greatest assets. However, the combined authority wants to see Crewe as more than just its industrial past – as more than just a rail town. 

“You can’t hang on that forever,” Gorman said. “It gives us a great legacy in terms of connectivity because Crewe is at the heart of the UK rail network. But time has moved on. 

“It’s time to write a new chapter.” 

Thus, a new invitation from Gorman for those looking to invest, live, and work in Crewe: Let’s challenge the status quo. Let’s challenge preconceived notions as to what a city must be, how it must look, and how it must operate. 

Gorman said: “It’s about place. It’s not about brick and mortar – it’s about digging into the heart of what a community is.” 

To that end, the council and the combined authority want to ensure that the residents of Crewe are involved and engaged in shaping the town’s future. Gorman also wants to hear from the potential future residents, the next generation of citizens. What do they all want from their town? 

“There is a chance here to have a new Gen Z city, which is much more transport- oriented and that thinks carefully of the role of the car and how people move around by mass transport,” Gorman said. 

Housing has a role to play here too, with the council and combined authority exploring what increased densification may look like. 

“We are moving away from that notion of building housing estates on the periphery of urban areas and bringing back that vitality into the centre,” Gorman said. 

Maybe this looks like the luxury build-to-rent offerings so popular in Manchester. 

Maybe it doesn’t. That is for the people to decide. But one thing is certain, the combined authority and council do not want to create just another identikit urban centre. 

“We have an opportunity to rethink the city experience,” Gorman said. He wants to make the most of it. 

Time to act

Greater Crewe won’t happen today but be assured it is on its way. This is the kind of placemaking opportunity, the kind of investment prospect that should have both the canny businessperson and the ethical developer salivating. 

Gorman is confident. The council is ambitious. The combined authority is ready to go. There is no time to be lost. 

“There are opportunities in Crewe you’re not going to get elsewhere,” Gorman said. 

“This is a really rare opportunity to shape a town, shape a community, and shape a city at pace and to work with public and private sectors to do that.” 

He leaned in, his tone serious. “We’re not hanging around here.” Crewe will be one of the spotlight opportunities discussed at the Cheshire and 

Warrington Combined Authority’s Launch Conference on 23 June at Alderley Park. Be a part of the discussion. Join the waiting list.