Queens Parade shops get a makeover

Published by Laura Beckett for Halton Housing Trust in Housing and also in Communities, Environment

A parade of shops in Ditton has been transformed thanks to a makeover by Halton Housing Trust.

As part of Halton Housing Trust’s £600,000 investment in the Ditton neighbourhood of Widnes, the shops were renovated after a consultation with shop keepers. Owned and managed by the Trust, the shops now look modern, fresh and welcoming.

The refurbishment was carried out by the Trust’s Construction Services team and included freshly painted exteriors, new windows, an updated electricity supply and new doors, windows and shutters.

Elliott Lewis, owner of Elliott’s Family Butchers, is thrilled with the makeover. He said: “As well as making the Parade a more attractive place to visit, hopefully it will draw new customers in. For example, we run a raffle every week where £15 worth of meat can be won. We are the only traditional butchers left in the area and we bone all our meat in the shop.”

Tracey Done is the manager of Halton Credit Union, based on Queens Parade. She is equally pleased: “Now we have a nice shop front we’ve noticed that more people are coming in. We also now have an interview room, which the Trust updated for us. Now we use it for both advice sessions and customer interviews."

Noel Sharpe, Executive Director for Customer Services at Halton Housing Trust, thinks that the revamp will attract new businesses. Shop owners also hope that the makeover will attract new customers and bring fresh trade to the area. She said: “The shops now look fantastic. As well as increasing passing trade, we expect that the uplift will encourage new businesses to move into the area, boosting the local economy. We want all our neighbourhoods to be vibrant and attractive places to live and the new shop fronts will help us meet our aims."

Queens Parade is home to a mixture of new and established retailers such as Nicholson’s Pharmacy, a chemist that has been in business for over fifty years, and new addition, Queens Avenue Pets, a one stop shop for all things pet related.