Council in talks over housing on town centre site

The site was originally set to have restaurants, shops and a cinema built on it

More than 300 homes could be built on a town centre site previously set to house a leisure scheme.

Cheshire East Council said it is in talks with a developer which could see apartments and townhouses built on the empty Royal Arcade site in Crewe.

The first phase of the development, which involved a new bus station and multi-storey car park, opened last year, but the council scaled back the second phase of the scheme two years ago because of rising costs.

Councillors are being asked to sign off plans to develop a business case for the plot, due to be discussed at a meeting on 9 September..

More than 300 homes could be built on the town centre site

Cheshire East Council bought the Royal Arcade site in 2015 and signed an agreement with a developer for a two-phase scheme in 2020.

The authority said in November 2023, while work on the first phase was still ongoing, it would scale back the plans for the second phase due to rising costs and uncertainty around the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2.

The second phase had been due to include restaurants, a cinema and retail space.

A temporary park that will feature green space, picnic tables and a playground is being developed on the site as a 'meanwhile use' measure while the site's future is being considered.

The car park was the final part of the first phase and opened in July 2024

In a report to the authority's economy and growth committee, the council said it had "engaged with a well-known developer of residential-led mixed schemes".

It said the developer was proposing a "unique, tailored model for Crewe which addresses the current financial constraints the council is facing".

The report added that the developer had come up with initial plans "at their own cost and risk", which would include at least 300 new homes with space suitable for retail, restaurants, offices and, potentially, some services like health or education.

The authority said the unnamed developer told the council it required conditions to make a scheme viable, which would include exclusivity over the Royal Arcade site, as well as the Delamere Street and Chester Street car park sites which it could also want to develop housing on.

The report added that the multi-storey car park would "be sufficient to accommodate future demand" in Crewe, but if the two other car parks were developed there might be a need to review parking in the town centre.

Leader Nick Mannion said the authority would work with the local community and other organisations to make sure the development would "reflect Crewe's needs and aspirations".

"We're excited by the vision but we're also realistic," he said.

The report is to be discussed by councillors at a meeting on 9 September.