Neston Town Centre Redevelopment.

Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council are bringing forward a major redevelopment scheme in Neston town centre involving a new medium sized supermarket, a new town square and a small number of flats and offices. This project will complement other regeneration activities in the town centre being progressed through the Neston Market Town Initiative.

Independent surveys commissioned by the borough council have revealed that Neston town centre does not perform as well as other market towns of similar size. Neston suffers a huge leakage of expenditure on food shopping to other centres. The 2004 survey showed that over 70% of expenditure from Neston area households on weekly convenience shopping is not spent in Neston but elsewhere. This situation has worsened since 1998 and is a huge loss of potential trade for the town. The range of retail and commercial services in the centre is not extensive and the range of shops in Neston has got worse over the last decade.

The borough council therefore believes that Neston needs a new supermarket to act as a focus for shoppers, to bring them into the town and give a boost to the existing specialist shops in the town centre. The council has taken advice from specialist retail experts who have looked at comparable towns and can show that the introduction of a new good quality medium sized store in the right location would increase footfall in the town and create opportunities for linked trips. This would benefit the small and independent shops and businesses in the town centre.  It would also reduce the need to travel for Neston residents and provide the kind of facilities that Neston deserves.
 
Last year the Borough Council approved a development brief for land that it owned between Raby Road and Brook Street, at the rear of the Town Hall. This development brief, a copy of which is in this pack, sets out the Council’s vision for the development. It makes it clear that the Borough Council was wanting a high quality, distinctive scheme that incorporated not only a medium sized supermarket but a new town square that would provide an enhanced location for the vital Friday market. It would enable the Friday market to thrive.

The brief also includes requirements on the following matters:

• The important relationship of the new development to Neston Conservation Area
• A minimum size of 20002  for the new town square
• Good pedestrian links to the High Street
• Quality and distinctive design and materials throughout
• A minimum of 90% of the floorspace of the store to be food (i.e. only 10% for non-food items with the objective of protecting existing town centre traders)
• A restriction on concessions
• A requirement to demonstrate practices of obtaining locally sourced food.
• Increased number of car parking spaces and car parks to be safe and well lit.
• A programme of off site environmental enhancements and improved car parking facilities

The Borough Council embarked upon a detailed disposal process of the site last September.  A dedicated team of Council officers and specialist advisers was brought together. Through a thorough evaluation and appraisal process, the Council has now selected the scheme put forward by developer CTP working with Sainsburys, subject to conditions.

One of the conditions is that the views of the Neston community on the preferred scheme are obtained before the Council meets on 31 July to make its final decision.

The preferred scheme will be exhibited in Neston Town Hall from Friday 6 to Friday 13 July and the public will be invited to view the plans and complete a simple questionnaire. The exhibition will be supplemented by 3 focus groups (of town centre residents, Neston area residents and of town centre businesses) and meetings with the Neston market traders and the Neston Market Town Initiative.

The consultation exercise will be evaluated and taken into account when the final decision is made.

The Council believes that the preferred scheme is a very exciting project for Neston which will take the town centre forward. It is a quality design and will be something that Neston people will feel proud of. It will provide a boost to the Friday market which has always been central to our plans and help the existing shops. The Council believes that this development is going to lead to the town centre being a much more vibrant and vital place.

Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council leader, Cllr Justin Madders, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Neston to get a quality new development which will be an asset to the town for years to come and to continue the regeneration of the town centre by drawing people in to do their weekly shopping at the new store, market and the smaller shops.
“We have been very impressed with the designs put forward and I urge Neston residents to come and have a look at the plans and tell us what they think.”

Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council Chief Executive, Stephen Ewbank, said: “The revival of Neston town centre is going to be one of the most important projects we’ve ever undertaken. We’ve worked hard on the plans and are delighted to be presenting them to the residents of Neston for their views.”

Director of developers CTP Limited, Keith McCormack, said: "CTP are delighted to have been chosen as the Council's preferred development partner for this important scheme in Neston. We believe that our proposals respond very well to the opportunities and constraints of the site and to the Council's brief.  We are confident that the finished product will be something of which we can all be proud, and that it will revitalize the town centre of Neston.
“CTP and our operating partner, Sainsburys, are keen to have a constructive dialogue with Neston residents, market traders and other members of the business community.  It is very important to us to ensure that our proposals are clearly understood and that we listen carefully to the community's views and respond accordingly"

CTP Limited are a privately owned property development company based in Manchester but operating throughout the UK. CTP have a considerable track record in town centre schemes, supermarkets, public squares and mixed use developments.  Partnerships with public bodies is the main focus of the business. CTP have won an impressive number of architecture, regeneration and conservation awards.

Paul Miller Development Surveyor for Sainsbury's said '..we are very excited by the prospect of a new Sainsbury's foodstore in Neston and delighted to have been chosen.
At Sainsbury's we are very aware of the part we play in people's lives. Our stores are often the hub of local life and provide a place to socialise as well as to shop. We welcome the chance to bring our values to a partnership with the Council and developers CTP in the regeneration of Neston town centre..'

Ends

Press release issued: June 25 2007