Revitalising Communities: Kier’s commitment to Cheshire’s growth and development

By Sarah Morton Regional director, Kier Construction North & Scotland

The devolution agenda has gathered pace in recent years, bringing a potential boost to infrastructure spending and revitalising local towns and communities, thereby accelerating local economic growth. Kier has a longstanding history of working in Cheshire, supporting the regeneration of local towns to help boost economic growth and providing improved access to employment, healthcare, and community events.

We are the local contractor with national strength, bringing our multi-sectorial expertise and experience from across the country to benefit the communities in which we work. In the last five years alone, Kier has helped to transform 21 local towns and cities in the North West by building sustainable infrastructure for multiple sectors that will benefit local communities for generations to come. Inspiring communities

In Cheshire, we recently commenced construction on one of two new history centres in Chester and Crewe that will host the region’s archives. Cheshire Archives, a shared service of Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council, looks after the county’s unique and irreplaceable written and pictorial history, which dates back more than 900 years. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, ‘Cheshire’s archives: a story shared’ will transform the way the archives service works and open the collections to a whole new audience.

Opening in 2026, the two new history centres will feature exhibition and event spaces, new research rooms, workspace for staff and volunteers, as well as environmentally stable storage for the archives.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s regeneration of Winsford Town Centre is the biggest investment in the town centre shopping area since the 1960s. Our redevelopment work involves the construction of a new Costa Coffee now open and work on a new B&M superstore and garden centre set to open in 2025. There will be a new 168-space car park alongside improvements to walking and cycling access as well as dedicated cycle storage.

New open public spaces are being created for pop-ups, events, and visiting attractions, with more green space in the town centre than ever before, creating a relaxing and pleasant environment to enjoy. Our Kier team has also refurbished and relocated the town’s war memorials within a new public square in front of the library, working with the Royal British Legion and Winsford Town Council.

Our award-winning project at Storyhouse, Chester, designed by Ellis Williams Architects for Cheshire West & Chester Council, was awarded the title of Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion at the Local Authority Building Control’s 2018 Building Excellence Awards. The project involved the renovation and remodelling of a Grade II listed Odeon cinema with an extension to house a new theatre and cultural centre. It became the first auditorium in the world designed to operate in two modes: a 500-seat thrust stage for produced work and an 800-seat proscenium arch theatre for touring shows, replacing a traditional box office with self-service ticketing solutions.

It was the first cultural building in the UK to include a fully integrated library, creating a place where customers can borrow a book, use the bistro, see a theatre or film, or take part in one of the many participative programmes.

The whole team approach on this project ensured that Cheshire West and Chester Council’s building control service was involved throughout, working with their professional contacts in the fire brigade and the conservation team to transform Chester’s Art Deco Odeon cinema into a cultural centre after a decade-long absence of a city centre cinema and theatre.

Located in the heart of Chester, the building is next to the new Northgate Development close to the town hall and cathedral - completing a trinity of cultural, civic, and spiritual public spaces. Improving access to healthcare

We are incredibly proud of the role we play in helping to our local communities to flourish, opening access to new public spaces, educational facilities, as well as access to healthcare.

Since January 2023, Kier has been working with Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a new surgical centre at the Victoria Infirmary in Northwich. The facility is being built thanks to funding received from NHS England, via NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board. Our site team is on track to complete the build in Spring 2025 alongside a refurbishment of the historic

The new Centre will provide a range of state-of-the-art clinical areas to support patient care. These include two advanced operating theatres, one dedicated to cataract surgery and the other functioning as a multispecialty theatre accommodating orthopaedics, ear, nose and throat surgery, dermatology, general surgery, and pain management. There will also be a treatment room, recovery area and consulting rooms.

The Trust’s ambition is to treat a large number of ‘high volume low complexity’ patients from across Cheshire who require less complex operations and procedures.

This will help reduce waiting times for patients, with an immediate focus on those who have been waiting 52 weeks for treatment. The Trust also aim to reduce the overall backlog and will treat around 12,000 patients each year.

It is hoped the Centre will become a cataract centre of excellence, providing eye care for people across the region. This will mean fewer people waiting for eye surgery across the region, improving patient care.

Investing in the future

But we are not just about creating spaces and buildings. We are committed to investing in the future of the people living and working in the communities in which we operate. Our dedicated social value programs are hugely successful and are tailored and aligned to the needs of each local community. In our North West patch, we have procured £68.6m worth of work through local SMEs and supply chain. Additionally, we have created 18 employment opportunities as a result of our projects in the area over the last two years.

As a company, we are passionate about promoting the benefits and opportunities a career in construction can bring, addressing skills shortages, and promoting the breadth of opportunity. Having provided 77 apprenticeships to local people as well as welcoming eight T-level students onto our sites over the last two years has meant we are nurturing and inspiring future generations to address skills shortages in our industry.

At Kier, we are not just building structures; we are building futures. Our commitment to the communities of Cheshire is unwavering, as we continue to invest in projects that enhance local infrastructure, create job opportunities, and improve access to essential services. By fostering strong partnerships and prioritising sustainable development, we aim to leave a lasting positive impact on the regions within which we live and work. Kier is built by brilliant people and together, we are shaping a brighter, more prosperous future for everyone.

As a company, we are passionate about promoting the benefits and opportunities a career in construction can bring, addressing skills shortages, and promoting the breadth of opportunity.