Appendix L Chester Characterisation and Vacancy Assessment continued

Eastgate Street

Eastgate Street begins at The Cross at the heart of Chester City Centre and is orientated in an eastly direction to the city walls. The majority of buildings at Eastgate Street are listed. The length of Eastgate Street is designated Primary Shopping Frontage and The Rows are designated Secondary Shopping Frontage on the Council’s adopted proposals map.

From The Cross looking east, views of the Eastgate Clock are clearly discernible, framed between the building line of the northern and southern side of Eastgate Street. The Eastgate Clock is located at the city walls which span the street; it dates to 1899 when it was erected to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

Eastgate Street accommodates the highest volume of footfall in the City Centre, reflecting its position as the City Centre’s primary retail street. It acts as a destination in its own right as primary retail frontage with rich heritage features including The Rows and is a link between key City Centre attractions including The Cross, Chester Cathedral, the city walls, Eastgate Clock, and the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. However, the close proximity to Chester Cathedral is underutilised with a lack of animation at ground level and priority given to vehicle traffic.

The street is visually appealing with an array of activity, in part due to the considerable number of smaller units, The Rows, and rich historic buildings. The Rows terminate as Eastgate Street meets St Werburgh Street, making way for larger shopfronts opening onto street level. The narrow street provides a strong sense of enclosure which heightens the sense of activity.

A high proportion of The Rows (44%) at Eastgate Street are vacant. This is a higher proportion than units at The Rows elsewhere in the city. Therefore, although The Rows are of historic importance and visually appealing, they are at risk of detracting from the street rather than enhancing it. This point is heightened with the closure of Debenhams; the former Debenhams unit has notable frontage at The Rows at the southern side of Eastgate Street.

The vast majority of units at the ground floor level at Eastgate Street accommodate retail provision with 69% of units concerned with retail. This is the highest proportion of retail provision in the City Centre. A breakdown of provision at Eastgate is set out table 7 below.

Appendix L

Chester Characterisation and Vacancy Assessment continued

Eastgate Street is an important street within Chester’s retail core, with a predominately retail offering. This retail offer is complimented with direct access to the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, which also has a strong retail offer. Eastgate Street has a high footfall, attributable to how it is also conveniently located adjacent to or in close proximity to some of Chester’s main attractions. The SWOT analysis below sets out the street’s strengths and weaknesses and examines how it may fair in the future.

Strengths

High footfall

Conveniently located to key attractions

Attractive heritage assets

Centrally located off The Cross

Strong retail offering

Pedestrianised

Clustering of jewellers

Opportunities

Vacant units at The Row versatile

Proximity to Chester Cathedral under-sold

As the primary street in the City Centre, Eastgate Street will benefit from any regeneration which takes place in the City Centre.

Weaknesses

Large proportion of vacant units at The Rows

Accessibility issues

Threats

Fortunes of street tied to the fortune of retail

More vulnerable to changing high street behaviours than neighbouring streets