Redevelopment plans for fire-hit factory site

The former printworks in Crewe was destroyed by fire in August 2024

The site of a former factory that was burnt down by arsonists could be redeveloped into a self-storage facility.

The vacant printworks in Crewe, Cheshire, was destroyed by a fire on 9 August that caused the evacuation of dozens of nearby homes.

In court in February, two men admitted arson, with a third found not guilty of the same charge.

A planning application for the vacant site, on the corner of Catherine Street and Frances Street, proposes the installation of self-storage containers.

The development, put forward by Lock Stock Self Storage Ltd, would also include CCTV surveillance and a 6m-high electric gate.

A report submitted with the application, which has been lodged with Cheshire East Council, said the proposal represented a "practical and beneficial use of the site" and would have minimal impact on the community.

More than 350 people were affected by the fire

More than 350 people were evacuated from their homes as a result of the fire which damaged some of the properties.

Det Con Mike Edwards, of Cheshire Police, said the incident "ripped residents out of the comfort of their own homes" and caused "substantial strain" on emergency services.

"The fire also left officers with considerable health issues and caused them to have time off work," he said.

James Evans, 19, of Welles Street, Sandbach, and 18-year-old Justin Keeling, of Catherine Street, Crewe, are due to be sentenced on 24 April after pleading guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.