New Senior appointment to lead the Council’s ambitious Growth Plans

Hayley Owen is the newly appointed Head of Economic Growth for Cheshire West and Chester and will be responsible for regeneration, business growth, skills development and digital infrastructure across the Borough.

in its first few weeks of opening. Winsford has secured investment from the Government’s Future High Street Fund to improve the Town Centre and the recent success of the Levelling Up Fund for Ellesmere Port. UK Shared Prosperity Funding offers an exciting opportunity to support businesses and places to develop innovative programmes and projects across Cheshire West”.

Hayley added “The Council cannot do this alone and collaboration and engagement with our public and private sector partners will be key to delivering our programmes. In my previous role, I worked alongside a range of organisations including the Business Improvement Districts, Chambers of Commerce, FSB and Local Enterprise Partnership as well as the voluntary and community sector to ensure we worked together to support our businesses and communities to thrive.

restore people’s pride in the places where they live, and spread opportunity more equally.

The Council has successfully secured £13,378,478 to support the transformation of Ellesmere Port market hall and pedestrian links, as well as to help bring forward empty and underused sites for new housing. With the addition of Council funding, this represents a total investment of £14.8m. It was a very competitive process, with a strong case made for the need to invest in the town centre alongside the private sector-led investment in industry and housing in the wider area.

The programme will now look at unlocking new housing sites around Coronation Road and Civic Way, which will make it a more attractive area and help bring new footfall to the town centre and exciting plans for updating the market hall. This includes transforming the flea market into a flexible space for specialist markets and events, creating an entrepreneurial start-up space and importantly changing the fabric of the building so that it will be much more energy efficient and fit for the future: this includes new large windows to let the daylight flood in, new insulation, green walls and photovoltaic panels to generate clean energy.

Hayley previously led on Economic Growth at Shropshire Council delivering a range of programmes and schemes from town centre redevelopment, a county-wide business park programme to support businesses to grow and thrive and attract new business to locate and invest and strategic infrastructure investment. Before Shropshire Hayley worked for Wirral Council and the private sector.

Hayley said “I am really excited about the role and the opportunities that it brings as the Council continues to develop robust and ambitious plans to develop our key centres in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Winsford and Northwich alongside supporting small business and attracting new investment across the County.

The One City Plan for Chester was launched in November and shortly after the first phase of the Northgate scheme opened with a new market attracting over 300,000 visitors

Whilst Cheshire West and Chester has a relatively successful economy there are several challenges that need to be addressed including part-time work low wages, access to affordable housing and improving connectivity in the rural areas. The Council continues to implement a set of measures to support the inclusive growth agenda which will include improving basic skills, in work progression and connecting residents to opportunities created by the major regeneration schemes in the borough”.

Levelling Up Fund to spark transformational change

More than 100 projects across 111 areas in the UK have been awarded funding from the second of the government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund, providing greater investment in communities that will create new jobs, drive economic growth, help

It also includes providing new ‘changing place’ facilities for disabled customers and their carers. The plans will also improve pedestrian and cycle links. with secure bike storage to make it safer and easier to walk or cycle into the heart of the town centre.

The detailed plans are still at an early stage, and over the coming months, an architectural team will be appointed that will work closely with officers, market traders and residents to progress the plans.

The government has also confirmed there will be a further round of the Levelling Up Fund, providing more opportunities to level up places across the UK.

Further information:

Landmark Levelling Up Fund to spark transformational change across the UKGOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Transforming Ellesmere Port Town Centre | Cheshire West and Chester Council