Appendix L Chester Characterisation and Vacancy Assessment

Watergate Street

Watergate Street is located within the Chester Characterisation Study ‘Central Area’. It is part of a key intersection of streets around The Cross, a pedestrian zone at the heart of the City Centre. There are a range of buildings of different styles on Watergate Street. The Row is continuous on the south side but is truncated to the north at 42 Watergate Street. Many of the buildings along Watergate Street are Listed, 7 of which are Grade II*.

The street is orientated in an east-west direction. To the west ground levels fall away towards the Old Port. The street is bounded to the west by the A548 dual carriageway. Looking west from The Cross, views down Watergate Street are slightly obscured by the building line of 11-17 Watergate Street, which protrudes forward of neighbouring buildings. The narrow street, particular at nos. 11-17 provides a strong sense of enclosure.

The north side of Watergate Street is designated Primary Shopping Frontage and the south side is designated Secondary Shopping Frontage in the Council’s adopted Local Plan proposals map.

Retail is the predominant use with 26% of units occupied by retailers. However, cafe, restaurant, and drinking establishments combine to comprise 35% of provision. The street can therefore be characterised by a range of uses, with its food and beverage offering a defining characteristic.

Appendix L

Chester Characterisation and Vacancy Assessment

continued

Watergate Street is a successful destination, centrally located within the City Centre off The Cross, benefitting from a range of occupiers and rich heritage assets. The Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis below explores the present situation at Watergate Street and its potential fortunes.

Strengths

Attractive Heritage Assets

Centrally located off The Cross

Diverse offering

Benefits from Racecourse footfall

Partially pedestrianised

Weaknesses

Vacant units detract from the character of the area

Lower quality provision on south side

Pedestrian legibility (narrowing of building line)

Limited access to The Rows

Opportunities

Vacant units at The Row versatile

Building on strong F&B offer

Threats

Vacant units at The Rows costly to bring back into use

Financial sustainability of units

Rows left in state of disrepair

Access to rows