Thank you to everyone who attended our September Business Summit at Memorial Court. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to join us.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, there are lots of positives to celebrate, alongside lots of exciting developments coming up, all of which will be hugely beneficial for the town centre.

Here’s what our key stakeholders had to say…

Weaver Square update

Lindsey Smith, Economic Growth Programme Manager for Cheshire West and Chester Council, provided a detailed update regarding the redevelopment of Weaver Square, alongside a projected timeline.

The plan for Weaver Square is to create a residential-led development, with 100 modern, affordable homes which will bring more footfall and expenditure to the town centre. 

Vinci UK Developments and ION Property Developments have been chosen as the preferred development partner. They are committed to working with local businesses and to providing a strong social value offer.

Site investigations have been undergoing which will help to inform the designs – there are additional site investigations that still need to take place over the coming months.

The next step is to confirm a pre-development agreement – the contracts are being drawn up with a view to being formalised in the coming weeks. Following that, work is being done on the governance structure, to ensure there’s a robust approval process in the place and a vacant possession strategy is in development. Colliers have been instructed to start conversations with any businesses that fall within the red line of the proposed development in the next month.

The pre-development stage is scheduled to take 12 – 18 months and will include feasibility studies, masterplanning, development appraisals and more. 

Following that, they will enter into a development agreement which will see the detailed designs, planning application, site demolition, the appointment of contractors, final site investigations and start on site. The plan is to undertake a phased development.

We will continue to keep you updated as the scheme progresses.

Andrew Arditti, Stakeholder Manager, provided a comprehensive update re the Market. The past year has been spent planning and researching – a successful public consultation saw feedback from over 1100 people, with 93% positive about the arrival of the market.

There will be 23 stalls on the ground floor (the first floor is being taken by an office), with 10 stalls fitted with extraction and suitable for food, and 13 for goods and services, such as bakeries, florists, grocers etc. The opening times are currently set to be Wednesday to Sunday, with a later opening on Friday and Saturday night.

The timeline sees the trader applications close on October 26th, with a fit-out contractor appointed in November. There will be a meet the buyer event in December for local businesses to find out more about the opportunities to sub-contract to the market fit-out.

Work will start on site in January 2026, with the trader line-up announced in the Spring. The market will open to the public in Summer 2026!

Sally Starkey, Library Development Manager at Cheshire West and Chester Council provided an update on the Library. 

The refurbishment of the Library includes a full repair, introduction of a lift to the first floor, better accessibility, changing facilitie and efficiency, with solar panels and heat pumps.

The Skills + Employment Team are moving into the Library and there will be classrooms on the first floor. There will also be a separate community space with its own entrance, which can be booked by the public when the library isn’t in use.

The projected timeline includes a planning permission decision in October, with the design stages completed in Winter 25/6. A contractor will be appointed with construction on site in Spring of 2026, with a planned opening in Winter 26.  

Paul Heatley, from Northwich Local Policing Unit, shared an update re policing in Northwich. Due to extra funding, there has been an increased police presence, with an additional 125 hours on the ground in July/August.

Your reports helps to build the evidence against the perpetrators of criminal and

anti-social behaviour required by the Courts and helps target Police resources to where they need to be every day.

With Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas in the coming months, the police will be running numerous campaigns – Operation Treacle and Operation Jingle, and can assist with assets for your business.