Chester Rita Waters Chester Renaissance
Work in partnership to drive, facilitate, influence and further the economic growth and development of the City of Chester and attract inward investment into the city Create a ‘must see’ European destination
Urban population 90,000 30 mins from Liverpool & Manchester 2 hours from London Recognised as a key ‘Attack brand’ 206 Grade I/II* listed buildings 1403 Grade II listed buildings 1800+ Archaeological sites 2 km of ‘almost’ complete walkable walls – most complete in Britain 8.5 million visitors per annum Visitor economy worth £500m
‘Chester is the one city in the
Northwest that has the potential to compete in the international league for small heritage cities of top quality’ Historic Towns & Cities in England’s Northwest NWDA / English Heritage 2007
Master planned various quarters of the city resulting in successful funding bids to NWDA/HLF/EH Designated as a Regional Strategic Site Created largest office park in North West Worked with private sector as enablers for development Commissioned qualitative and quantitative research Close public and stakeholder consultations and engagement
Slight fall in hotel occupancy mid week / Saturday room occupancy remains constant Chester will have had more hotel investment 2008 – 2010 than any other UK historic city A.R.R. slightly down but less than national Visitor numbers to Chester Zoo increased Chester Race-goers increased over 10% Low unemployment 3% Below average retail vacancy rate 9.6% / 14.2% / 12%
£50m private sector investment in HQ mixed use building £11m public/private sector investment in Chester Station £4m+ Investment in public realm works £1.1m HLF/RHT building restoration £100m+ 500,000 sq ft Business District £250m+ proposal for Cathedral Quarter £400m+ proposal for Northgate £1.2m investment into Walls/Towers Multi £M waterways investment
Key Heritage Sites Tower Wharf
City Walls
Cathedral Quarter Amphitheatre Rows Grosvenor Park
Castle Area
Groves & Riverside
Chester’s DNA - Help or Hurt? Positioning – Hearts and Minds Attribution theory – 1 key attribute Critical prospect Product / Pricing / Packaging Ancient City – Modern Ideas
Get to know our place & our customers Set a realistic and sustainable vision Sense of place – sense of pride Think holistically Engage with all partners and stakeholders Never underestimate the peoples passion Be creative – remain distinctive