http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s71/Adam2707/chester_renaissance.jpg?t=1175880714

“These schemes at Northgate and across the city are part of the magnificent investment and reshaping going on all around us. The demolition of St Martin’s House represents the beginning of a new start for this part of the city – a true renaissance.”

Chester Links:

Official Chester Renaissance Website (www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk/)
Chester Aerial Photo's (http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/chester/chester.htm)
Chester in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester)
Visit Chester Site (http://www.visitchester.com/)
Chester 360 (http://www.chester360.co.uk/index.htm)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Northgate Development


http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/overview.jpg


Links:
Official Northgate Website (http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/home.html)
BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6471821.stm)

Notes:
- Work will soon begin on the much heralded Northgate Development - a new vibrant quarter for Chester and the largest and most ambitious redevelopment in the city centre for decades.

- Chester City Council is keen to develop and reshape the run down areas around Northgate and Gorse Stacks and this £280m scheme is being seen a once in a century opportunity to boost Chester’s ability to compete with best in the Northwest.

Including
•a new 150,000 sq ft House of Fraser department with a rooftop restaurant and up to 60 new shops and retail outlets of various sizes
•a new flagship performing arts centre catering for more than 800 people
•a modern covered market fronting onto Chester main square
•a library twice the size of the present one
•a new bus station with safe access to the shops
•restaurants and cafes around a new public square
•a 652 space, well lit, modern, safe and secure multi-storey car park
•a new shop mobility unit at Trinity Street car park
•124 flats, including a number of affordable homes
•improvement to the Town Hall housing a relocated Registrars Office
•a fresh looking Town Hall square with popular local and foreign markets

- The new development will blend in with its surroundings while enhancing Chester’s special character and local distinctiveness. The proposals also preserve and interpret local archaeology and history.

Current Status:
Demolition of St Martin’s House and the Mission Hall in Princess Street is expected to start in the next few weeks. The scheme will then gather momentum with construction starting in September and completion scheduled for 2011.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



New Council Offices

http://www.chester.gov.uk/gorsestacks/mock_up_1.jpg

Links:
Official Website (http://www.chester.gov.uk/gorsestacks/)

Notes:
- Planning permission was granted for the new offices in Spring 2004. It will provide a landmark building that will revitalise the Gorse Stacks area of Chester and ease the way for redevelopment of the Northgate.

- The new council offices, which will create modern city council headquarters to replace the Forum offices, which have to be demolished as part of the Northgate development.

Office use: gross internal area 7,926 sqm
A3 use: gross internal area 500 sqm
Car parking: 110 spaces [gia 2,927sqm]

- The building will provide all the council's functions in a single and accessible location while acting as a prominent new landmark. The details include a meeting room on each floor and public restaurant at street level.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chester Station Gateway

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s71/Adam2707/800px-chester_railway_station_front.jpg?t=1175892582

Links:
Chester's Gateway Site (http://www.chester.gov.uk/main.asp?page=1800)
Cheshire's Gateway Site (http://www.chester.gov.uk/main.asp?page=1800)

Notes:
- "Chester is a true gateway to Merseyside, Wrexham, Shrewsbury, the North Wales coast, Holyhead and Ireland. As such it attracts visitors from far and wide. You only get one chance to create a first impression and nothing will create a lasting impression more than a leaking roof, which is why we are investing heavily to ensure passengers remain dry for years to come."

- Work is about to start on a new glazed roof over the concourse and platforms at Chester Station. The £4 million investment marks the start of the Chester Gateway Partnership's 2007 programme to revitalise the station and its surrounding area. This is the first sign of activity that local residents and visitors to Chester will see in a scheme which brings contributions from the Gateway partners valued at approximately £10 million.

- It forms just one element of work at Chester station. There has already already been £200,000 refurbishing the station's west wing offices. A further £200,000 will be spent refurbishing the east wing offices, with work expected to start early in 2008.

- 2008 will see the start of £400,000 of stonework repairs to the main station building and plans are being drawn up for a further £400,000 of conservation work.

- In the meantime, work starts this month (April 2007) to install a new customer information system. These can list up to 10 train departures per page and can also be used to display general passenger information. In addition to the flat screens there will be electronic 'finger boards' on every platform with information about the next departure. All the information screens will comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

- An architectural lighting scheme has already been installed which has enhance the façade of the train station. The work was officially unveiled at the end of January 2007. The £60k scheme creates a brighter environment, improves public safety after dark and highlight the architectural detail of an important grade II* listed building.

http://www.chester.gov.uk/images/Concept-image-station-lighting.jpg

Current Status:
Work has started on the customer information system, and the glazed roof is due to start in the next few weeks for completion before Christmas.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chester HQ

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/HQ5.jpg

Links:
Liberty Properties Site (www.libertyplc.co.uk)
Official HQ Website (www.hqchester.com)

Notes:
- Liberty Properties' flagship development, christened HQ, will be one of the most prestigious mixed-use developments to be created outside London in recent years.

- Planning consent has been granted for Liberty Properties Plc's iconic gateway HQ development. The 250,000 Sqft mixed use scheme will accommodate 35 residential apartments and penthouses with views across Chester Racecourse, high spec office space and a luxury four-star hotel, to be operated by Abode Hotels, and additional restaurants.

- The project, on the site of Cheshire Constabulary's former headquarters in Chester, includes a luxury hotel and restaurant, offices and accommodation, including penthouse apartments.

- The building, near the city's racecourse, will be designed around a large central piazza.

- Liberty Properties Plc have a current development programme valued in excess of £100 million, and have considerable experience of developing within Chester, having already developed over 150,000 sqft of commercial accommodation and 50,000 sqft of retail floor space in the city.

Current Status:
Demolition of the Police HQ is complete, and construction of the building is due to start in June.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chester Exchange

- A new development next to the Chester Roman Amphitheatre. Including new office space, Exchange Restaurant, a new hotel and retail units.

- View of Exchange before new development.
http://www.harrison-associates.co.uk/chester_images/property/exchange.jpg

- After the development
http://www.chester360.co.uk/pics/property/exchange.jpg

http://www.chester360.co.uk/pics/property/exchange_restaurant.jpg
Current Status
Under construction. The current buildings is currently being restored.

Links:
The Exchange Brochure (http://www.chester360.co.uk/the-exchange-restaurant-retail.pdf)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Tower Wharf

Notes:
- Tower Wharf is a mixed use development on Chester’s canals, which starts shortly, it is due to be radically redeveloped by British Waterways. Reportedly involving the construction of yet more hotels, 'luxury' apartments and offices.

- The original plans were submitted in 2001 for the 8.5 acer site, but then, almost two years later, in May 2003, the local press reported that the future of the entire affair had been again thrown into question. city planners have, remarkably, requested that the developers ditch their current proposals and enter into fresh negotiations in order to come up with plans that would be rather more acceptable to the local community, not to mention fellow-objectors English Heritage (because of the rotten architecture).

- The developers redesigned their proposal and this artist's impression of the redeveloped Tower Wharf appeared during the summer of 2005, when there was a brief flurry of excitement that the project was back on the rails. Telford's Warehouse is on the far right and then it's 'luxury' flats as far as the eye can see.

Curent Status:
Although construction is due to start soon It is still unclear when it will, but the site has already been cleared for development.

http://www.bwpics.co.uk/chesterpics/newwharf.jpg

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are the other developments which will be part of the Chester Renaissance program but I haven't found much info on them, but I will keep looking. :)

oGorsestacks – a development of homes and offices together with new underground public car parks starting later this year
oOld Port – this is coming to the last phase of its development with homes and new offices presently on site
oThe Canal Corridor - The completion of housing and commercial developments along the Boughton Canal Corridor
oRaillands – various developments around the railway station, including homes and offices at Black Diamond Street
oThe Chester Sports and Leisure Park – a development which will provide a new arena, Country Park and an enhanced City Baths leisure facility.

•The Chester Culture Park – this aims to make Chester a must see European City by 2015 – major priorities are:
oThe improvement of Chester Rail Station and surrounding area
oThe enhancement of the Rows and city centre streets
oThe improvement of the City Walls
oTelling Chester’s stories and a story telling centre
oImproving and developing festivals and animating Chester’s streets
oImproving Grosvenor Park, the Groves and a amphitheatre centre.

If anyone has any more Info/Images of any of the projects in the Chester Renaissance, please could you post them here, Thank you.

The New Council offices look amazing

Good to see things going well in Chester. Not been there for a long while, but when I did it seemed a really nice place.

Some Images of The Northgate Development


Town Hall Square
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/img4a.jpg


Cathedral Walk
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/img3a.jpg


Library Entrance
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/img7a.jpg


Library Foyer
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/img5a.jpg


Crook Street
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/img2a.jpg


Theatre Square
http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/sketches/Theatre.jpg

Isnt the bit to the left of the Town Hall currently the Forum shopping centre? That had a fairly short life-span, it was only finished in the mid 90s wasnt it?

Chester has excellent shopping for a city of its size.

Isnt the bit to the left of the Town Hall currently the Forum shopping centre? That had a fairly short life-span, it was only finished in the mid 90s wasnt it?

Yes, the bit to the left of the town hall is The Forum Shopping Centre. I sent a email to somone on the Website (http://www.forumshopping.co.uk/) to find out when it was built and when it will be demolished, and they said that it was built around 1965 and due to be demolished soon after October 2008, when the Forum will close. So it has had a fairly long life-span and still dosent look that dated.

http://www.forumshopping.co.uk/images/E10crop5.jpg

You could be thinking of the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, but I dont know when that was built.

it looks really good, I think though the building facing town hall square could be a bit more interesting,and have a bit more life in it than the bland glass and wood box it is at the moment, something along the lines of the new building opposite parliament designed by the same architects would be more grand for the setting and courageous.

Yes, the bit to the left of the town hall is The Forum Shopping Centre. I sent a email to somone on the Website (http://www.forumshopping.co.uk/) to find out when it was built and when it will be demolished, and they said that it was built around 1965 and due to be demolished soon after October 2008, when the Forum will close. So it has had a fairly long life-span and still dosent look that dated.

http://www.forumshopping.co.uk/images/E10crop5.jpg


It really needs demolition!!! The frontage is a relatively recent addition, it used to be more "car ferry" like- I think it was the late 80s/early 90s that it was revamped. The Forum is an anthropologists dream- various missing links and genetic deviants do their "shopping" there, it really has to be seen to be believed. It seems that the over 60s like going to Somerfield at lunchtime, when they could go at any time of day! The rear area leading to the Gateway theatre is appalling, as is the car park. Puts you in mind of Wythenshawe rather than a supposed "Heritage City".

I also hate the hotel to the rear of ther market, the worst kind of "modern but with some features to make it look at home in Chester"

While having a rummage recently, I came across some long forgotten 1976 aerial photos of Chester taken for the council- ill post them on here for interest sometime.

it looks really good, I think though the building facing town hall square could be a bit more interesting,and have a bit more life in it than the bland glass and wood box it is at the moment

I'd agree with that, the stone cladding to the existing mall seems more appropriate to me.

Are the Council Offices being built on the old bus/coach station towards Northgate? If, not does anyone know what they're doing with that as its been vacant for some time now.

Are the Council Offices being built on the old bus/coach station towards Northgate? If, not does anyone know what they're doing with that as its been vacant for some time now.

The bus station site is to be apartments, there is a nice model on the 2nd floor of the Forum offices. Council site is Gorse Stacks car park, alittle to the east of the bus station site.

^^ Just a small map to give you a better idea of where the council offices are going.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s71/Adam2707/des_state_1.jpg?t=1176295411

Above:
1: The site of the New Council Offices (Red)
-- Old Bus Station (Blue)
2: The Cathedral
3: Existing Town Hall
4: City Walls

The small park next to the old bus station (Green) is also supposed to be getting a revamp, and a possible bridge going across to the walls. Has anybody got any more info on this?

As it happens I work with the guys who are doing the park revamp- and producing a brochure about how "interesting" the site is. Will post a plan when possible.

As it happens I work with the guys who are doing the park revamp- and producing a brochure about how "interesting" the site is. Will post a plan when possible.

:cheers: Cheers, so do you know what the timeline will be for this project?

The current proposals are on display in the library for public comment etc. The consultation process will continue till late this year (has to go through "area committees" etc), with a start aimed at for late 2007/ early 2008. Go down and take a look and make an input!

The entrance to The Forum before the 90s makeover:-

http://www.bwpics.co.uk/gallery/chesterpics/marketsquare.jpeg

I kind of like The Forum and the market, it's a bit more "real" than the rest of Chester. Progress is progress I suppose.

That Moat House hotel at the back of the forum has to be seen to be believed though:-

http://www.qmhjobs.com/images/chester.jpg

That old pic of the Forum is interesting.

I have to look at that hideous hotel from the office window every day, it really is atrocious!

Heres a few pics of the place in 1987, when i came on a day trip, not a vast amount of change, but all the shops have changed hands by the look of it:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4920/scan0024lv7.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1176/scan0005ks1.jpg

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/3659/scan0006gt2.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1182/scan0007nq5.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5918/scan0008ob2.jpg

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5699/scan0009lf0.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/499/scan0010qj7.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1060/scan0012xq6.jpg

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8272/scan0014kc4.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2149/scan0017di2.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6651/scan0018bw5.jpg

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/8621/scan0022cu9.jpg

Thanks for all the photo's :) , I'd never seen the Fourm before the makeover.

I was'nt living in Chester when the pics by Sjmoore were taken, Thanks. Those pics really show how little development there has been in the city center for the last 20 years and how all of the shops have change too. I also noticed how bad the picture quailty was then aswell. (no offence Sjwmoore)

Thanks for all the photo's :) , I also noticed how bad the picture quailty was then aswell. (no offence Sjwmoore)

None taken!! I had one of those oblong instamatics, that took film cartridges with a kind of "dumbell" shape- loads of my old pics are grainy as anything. I did take pics of anywhere i went in those days, so ive gots quite a few late 80s pics of all sorts of places. I have scanned the 1976 aerial pics and will hopefully post here tommorrow.

Ah, a 110. I had one of those, the pictures were always small and grainy. Oh how I wanted a Kodak Disc camera.

Looking at them pictures brings back loads of memories for me. First thing that caught my eye was the extra large Flying Machine shop sign on Northgate Street (5th pic, above the bloke with the mullet).

In the next picture, you can see the hoarding around where the shops on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Bridge Street were to be built (Jessops, Endsleigh Insurance et al). The pub that stood there was closed in 1986 and subsequently demolished
http://www.bwpics.co.uk/chesterpics/kingshead.jpg

Nice to see Lower Bridge Street has been cleaned up in 1987 - would you believe this was only in 1974:
http://www.bwpics.co.uk/gallery/oldpics/bridgest.jpeg

http://www.bwpics.co.uk/gallery/oldpics/bridgest2.jpeg

I'd forgotten how good the old gas vans looked in that livery, and nice to see the St. Anne's Flats in all their glory.

Oh, and here's one of the Grosvenor Precinct being built.
http://www.bwpics.co.uk/gallery/langford/pics/precinct.jpg

At the end of the road leading up the right, is the entrance to Debenhams, and to it's left the entrance to St. Michael's Arcade - which is basically outside Dolcis in today's precinct.

All of these stolen from The Black & White Picture Place (http://www.bwpics.co.uk/)

The pictures of Lower Bridge Street in 1974 are shocking, but I guess a lot of places were dilapidated at that time. As for the building of the Grosvenor Precinct, such a shame the Roman stuff uncovered wasn’t preserved in some way. Intact mosaics were smashed up and carted off, walls metres high etc.

Anyhow, below are some pics I acquired a while back, taken for the City Council in 1976 by Aerofilms, who are still the copyright holder. These pics lay unknown and unused for years, till the guy who had them said “You might be interested in these”.



http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2613/scan0033xhi6.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7125/scan0014xee1.jpg

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5950/scan0015xlz5.jpg

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6922/scan0016xtt4.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3561/scan0017xnz3.jpg

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4854/scan0019xbj3.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2580/scan0020xec0.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8272/scan0021xau8.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/5407/scan0022xjb7.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1100/scan0023xes9.jpg

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/999/scan0026xve0.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6110/scan0027xos0.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/5228/scan0029xlt8.jpg

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7838/scan0030xpn9.jpg

I suppose so, but with that area looking so immaculate now, it's hard to imagine that it ever looked like that, never mind only 30 years ago.

I think there's quite a bit of stuff regarding the Grosvenor Precinct construction on that website, although it's possible I may have read about it elsewhere. But absolutely, some of the stories about what the contractors got up to were truly shocking. An entire Roman gymnasium wasn't it?

Those photos are amazing, many thanks for posting - I've just spent the best part of an hour looking at them. Far, far too much to comment on, but the buses are still stopping outside The Forum, all the modern stuff still looks nice and shiny, (including Salmon's Leap, which would have been brand new in 1976) and I notice the Northgate Arena is in some, but not in others. Is it me or do the council offices above the forum still look as if they're under construction?

There's something large under construction behind the old Telecom building on St. John's Street, is it part of Marks & Spencer? And has anyone any street level pictures of that large modern building at the Foregate Street end of Frodsham Street. I remember the new stuff being built there, but cannot for the life of me recall what was there before.

And thankfully, no bloody Moat House hotel!!!! :)

Wow, I wasnt expecting so many pictures. Thanks.

Again I spent a while looking at them, there's some more reacent pictures that I was comparing them to on a website (http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/chester/chester.htm), it's intresting to see the changes in chester far before I was even born!, and its a shame that they did'nt preserve what they found when they were building the Grosvenor. :ohno:

Ill add the website to my "Chester Links" on the first post aswell.

Chester Exchange

A new development next to the Chester Roman Amphitheatre. Including new office space, Exchange Restaurant, a new hotel and retail units.

View of Exchange before new development.
http://www.harrison-associates.co.uk/chester_images/property/exchange.jpg

After the development
http://www.chester360.co.uk/pics/property/exchange_restaurant.jpg

http://www.chester360.co.uk/pics/property/exchange.jpg

The current building is currently being restored and the building work has
started on the exchange building.

The Exchange Brochure (http://www.chester360.co.uk/the-exchange-restaurant-retail.pdf)

Is it me or do the council offices above the forum still look as if they're under construction?



It looks complete to me, it would have been finished around that time. The Pyramid lighting things (skylights) on the market hall are clearly seen- i have to gawp at these all day. Building on right U/C belongs to the County council
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7522/marketroofff0.jpg


And has anyone any street level pictures of that large modern building at the Foregate Street end of Frodsham Street

That building has intruiged me too, it appears to have living space on the roof, space age flats!

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/144/mystery3ov8.jpg


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2932/mysteryiy7.jpg


http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3126/mystery2dz9.jpg

Okay, the building on Frodsham Street was called Mercia Square. I shouldn't really post photos from http://www.chesterimagebank.com/ but there are some on there.

I've copied this verbatim from bwpics.com:-
"I particularly enjoyed reading about Mercia Square and its bars. I remember the bar/restaurant on the upper level of Mercia Square called Dukes Wine Bar. When you entered through the glass door you found yourself in a dark room with an L-shaped bar straight in front of you. Its restaurant was to the left of the entrance and I seem to remember wagon wheels were the theme here decorating the walls.
Next to Dukes, with an adjoining internal door, was a bar called The Pump Room. I also recall this bar had a revolving door leading from the square. The decor here was old wooden barrels used as tables.
Also on Mercia Square was the wine bar Pierre Griff's, with its 'P.Gs' motif in the window with what could only be described as a drunken cherub straddling a barrel. Inside, wine bottle candleholders covered with an unbelievable amount of melted wax were the centrepiece of each table. This wine bar must have been responsible for introducing many a young Cestrian to the pleasures of wine drinking as beers and spirits were not served here.
Mercia Square was always alive with a happy atmosphere; laughter echoed as many drinkers would spill out from the bars to enjoy the summer night air. Friends would use the square as a meeting point and inadvertently spend the rest of the evening there lost in time"

So access was straight off the walls...how bizzare...it would have been quite interesting to see it, i have a fondness for 60's / 70's precincts, as a kid i remember them as bright and clean and "modern". Not so nowadays, but some are still well maintained.

No sjwmoore post is complete without maps- these two scans are on my pc here, somone wanted them at work. first one is 1942, second one 1969

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4383/1942xz3.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8938/1969vf0.jpg

I've just found a great website with loads of fantastic pano's of Chester, which some of you might be intrested in.

http://www.chester360.co.uk/

Nice link.

You might also like this:

www.virtualchester.org


ive never got it to work on my machine, but ive seen it on someone elses- sort of half finished but interesting.

A couple of interior shots of the new council offices:
Copyright Ian Simpson Architects

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1259/councilofficesinteriorqk7.png

This is the new council chamber- the 3 people on right look rather biblical!
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7783/councilchamberyr6.png

I'd be interested to know when Mercia Square was demolished, I really cannot remember it.

I got that virtualchester.org thing working, although only the low bandwidth version, even though I was using all of a 2MB leased line. Very interesting, but all of my favourite buildings are just blocks on there.

From the pictures IMO Mercia square looks quite descusting, but I have been trying to find out when it was demolished. so far no info, but I think it might be somthing to do with this image on Chester Image Bank which was taken in 1970. (unless it was the construction of it)

http://www.chesterimagebank.com/jpgh/cn0414.jpg

Anyway, thanks for the link on Virtual Chester :cheers:, it took a while for it to load but I got there in the end. Shame the 3D models arn't a better quailty, but its better than nothing I suppose.

The Pyramid lighting things (skylights) on the market hall are clearly seen- I have to gawp at these all day.


I have to look at that hideous hotel from the office window every day, it really is atrocious!

Sjmoore, where about is it you work? (don't be scared :)), its just that I was thinking you will have quite a good view of the Northgate Development when that starts, won't you? I was just wondering that was all.

Btw when will you be able to post the plan for the park revamp?, Its just that im to lazy to go to the librery and last time I went to town I forgot.

The latest dates for the main parts of the Northgate Scheme are as follows:

- April 07 - Demolition of St Martin's House former Mission Halland Masonic Lodge commences.
- Sept 07 - The scheme goes unconditinal (which means that it will happen).
- Sept 07 - Bus station closes.
- Sept-Dec 07 - Remainder of Hunter St properties demolished.
- Oct 07 - Work starts on 49 Northgate St.
- June 07- Gorse Stacks car park closes.
- Sept 07-Oct 08 - Market phase 1 built.
- Nov 07 - Rear of Watergate St properties demolished.
- Jan 08-Jan 09 - Works carried out to town hall.
- Oct 08 - Market, Princess Street car park close.
- Sept 07-Dec 08 - City Council offices constructed.
- April 09-Feb 11 - shops and homes built.
- Dec 10 - New library complete
- 2011 - Scheme opens.:)

Sjmoore, where about is it you work? (don't be scared :)), its just that I was thinking you will have quite a good view of the Northgate Development when that starts, won't you? I was just wondering that was all.

Btw when will you be able to post the plan for the park revamp?, Its just that im to lazy to go to the librery and last time I went to town I forgot.

I am on the 3rd floor of the Forum offices, with a view across to N Wales, the Airbus factory and that frigging hotel....This building should be empty by the time the Northgate stuff begins, hopefully ill be long gone by then, been in the job almost 3 years, too long..

Ill see if the guys will be kind enough to export the plan from autocad into something postable

with a bit of imagination, you can picture the Chester of the future....

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/1066/01052007001iy4.jpg
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2394/01052007002vk5.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/9933/01052007003pl0.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4843/01052007004nr4.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/470/01052007si1.jpg

If you are not aware, the Conservative Party has won a majority of the seats in Chester.

This means that it is getting very unlikly that the New Council Offices will be built :ohno:, which could leed to the whole of the Northgate Sceme could be put into the question aswell.

Deputy Council leader, Labour's John Price, believes that a U-turn would spell catastrophe. He said:

Northgate is like a jigsaw. each peice is fitted against a timescale - if the council offices were canclled, the whole thing could collapse. The legacy of the Conservaties, given the progress on other local citys like Liverpool, could set Chester back 15 years.

I dont know about anyone elce but this has REALLY pissed me off, the one chance that Chester gets intrest for a major investment in decades, and the Conservaties could cancel it. :bash:

There has been a Google Earth update around the Chester area.
It was still taken about a year ago though, you can see the Chester races' and the Fair. :)

There has been a Google Earth update around the Chester area.
It was still taken about a year ago though, you can see the Chester races' and the Fair. :)

Isn't the fair there at the moment? And the races on later this week? Maybe the pics were taken this Friday coming! :nuts:

Thanks for the pics of the models sjwmoore. It's taken me a while to get my bearings but I think I've finally worked it out. As a staunch brutalist, I'm not usually a fan of this kind of pastiche, but to be fair I actually think they have the potential to be rather effective, especially the fact it is in the main, the "streets" are open rather than covered.

I noticed the other day that the Exchange building is now completely covered in scaffolding and sheeting. Moving a bit quicker than I expected.

The races have started today - *note to self- leave early to avoid traffic*

New google earth pics are much better, still no warrington though!!

No one in the council seems to be bothered about the tories stated intentions, i think its percieved as an election stance- the contracts are all signed for northgate and the new offices- will the tories explain to council tax payers that they must pay for any cancellation penalties?? I met a lady of about 70 on a train once who bemoaned the amount of new building, esp. flats in Chester. I suggested to her that perhaps they were better than the derelict industrial sites that they replaced! In fact, that it showed a new confidence in the city. But certain older people are always it seems resistant to change of any kind, and these are the types that tend to vote in the council elections. Moaners- people without vision. even the market traders reckon they would rather stay in the crappy existing market rather than have the "hassle" of moving to a new new and clean market hall.

Anyhow, im going to bring a camera in shortly to capture the delights of the Forum, inside and out, before it is consigned to history. will be interesting viewing in 10 years and later on.

I've been meaning to take some pictures of what the Northgate dev is going to replace for ages - I finally did it this morning. I took quite a few, so I'm going to spread them over several posts, which I'll post as and when. I'll start off with Commerce House:-

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Looks very red on those pictures! Looking at it now, ive noticed a microwave relay dish and a number of mobile phone antennae on it- will be inconvenient for the users when it comes down, esp. the microwave dish, as it works on a line of sight principle. We noticed demolition men on the roof of St Martins House on Friday, which is a good sign, should be coming down this month.

It does rather doesn't it? I was thinking the same thing when I downloaded the pictures. And I also noticed there are a load of antennae and microwave dishes on the roof of Rowlands Heights, one of the tower blocks off Crewe Street. (There will be some pics of this on the British Tower Blocks (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=408485) thread shortly). I suppose there'd be a line of site between that and Commerce House wouldn't there?

Anyway, seeing as you mentioned St. Martin's House....


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I've always liked the lines of St. Martin's House, I think it's quite elegant as far as office blocks in Chester go. Looking through the barriers into the empty offices reminded me of when I worked at the Manweb HQ on Sealand Road in the mid nineties. They were slowly moving all the staff out of there to the new Manweb House on Chester Business Park, the regional offices, or up to Glasgow. I was working in IT Support there at the time, and sometimes I'd have to go up to one of wings on the 7th floor where there would be a couple of blokes sitting at the opposite ends of an office designed for a couple of hundred, waiting to be moved to their new base. It was quite spooky seeing this behemoth of a 60s office block with only a few signs of life dotted here and there. All the big wigs had left, so they closed the massive prolaterian canteen and the staff that remained used the plush executive canteen instead, which was nice. Although admittedly not as nice as having access to their four table snooker room!

I've struggled to find any photos of the Manweb HQ, I don't suppose anybody has any do they?

Those new council offices look pretty funky, i've always thought that the Forum is a bit of a dive so I won't be upset to see the back of it.

I've always thought that the Forum is a bit of a dive so I won't be upset to see the back of it.

To be honest I think that most people will be glad to see the back of Fourm and the whole of Northgate, but I just wish that they will take the Mill House with it. :ohno:

Thanks for the pics Btw, could be the last pics of St. Martins House in one peice, well sort of.

To be honest I think that most people will be glad to see the back of Fourm and the whole of Northgate, but I just wish that they will take the Mill House with it. :ohno:

Thanks for the pics Btw, could be the last pics of St. Martins House in one peice, well sort of.

Mill House? You mean the hotel?

I noticed that at the top left corner of St. Martin's house in the first picture, it looks like it's been nibbled already.

Mill House? You mean the hotel?

I noticed that at the top left corner of St. Martin's house in the first picture, it looks like it's been nibbled already.

Yes, the Mill House Hotel I think its called.

I hope the do start to do somthing with it before the Nothgate Development is finnished, otherwise its going to make the whole backdrop look awfull when your at it from the Town hall.

It was actually called the Moat House hotel, now it's the Crowne Plaza. For those of you not au fait with Chester, in the third picture of St. Martin's House, it's that thing in the background.

I hope they do something with it as well, preferably something involving a bulldozer! :lol:

I was looking at a map of the development area last night, are Dial House, Goldsmith House and Merchant House coming down as well?

All of those crappy offices south of the site are to go- and good riddance. Dial House seems unaffected. This is one of a number of phasing maps of the project. It would appear that the hideous entity is staying.

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There are dems men active in this building below as i write this-

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Thanks for remining me, the Conservaties want to move the perfoming arts centre to Gorestacks. Which would mean no new HQ, and no entertainment in Chester city untill about 2011 once they have designed the building and everything, and the Odeon closes.

There are dems men active in this building below as i write this-

That'll be this one then:-

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Aye, thats the one! The window frames were being pulled out. Never noticed before that it was a masonic hall- no doubt all of their devil worshiping gear has already been removed!

That mission hall is an eyesore, every day I can see a notice proclaiming "God cares for YOU"- which may well be the case but its a crap slogan. And the derelict house next door- I wonder when that was last inhabited.

As ive mentioned before, the local government review is likely to see a merger of chester, Ellesmere Port and Vale Royal, taking over the County functions also for that area- hence the Goldsmith Houses etc of this world may not need to be replaced, as there will be quite a reduction in staff across the 3 existing districts.

I wonder when the Masonic Hall was last used, owing to the amount of glass that was still in the windows on Sunday not that long ago. I was also curious about the "A-L 5909" that appears on the keystone above the door. My first thought was that it was the year it was built using the Hebrew calendar, but according to calculations, 5909 works out as 2149, so it can't be that.

Looking at the Chester City Mission building and the house next to it, makes me wonder what Princess Street was like before the construction of the ring road and bus exchange - is the mission the one labelled "School" on this map?

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I suppose the building of retail units on the site of the office blocks on Hamilton Place will improve the footfall on Watergate Street as well, seeing as the new development will be directly accessible from it. I've no qualms about Merchant House or Goldsmith House going, but I do like the relentless uniformity of Hamilton House.

Merchant House
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Hamilton House
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Goldsmith House
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Yes, it appears to be the same building. The background raster used below is not to great, but is from 1911, and is superimposed with current buildings.


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Have just had conversation with one of the big shots- we are contractuarlly obliged to vacate the forum within 2 years so Northgate is DEFINATELY still on- chief exec to consult with new tory leadership next week about the new offices- Tories say alternative accomodation can be found without developing Gorse Stacks. Lets see what happens.

The Chester HQ website is now up and running:

www.hqchester.com (http://www.hqchester.com/)

I am currently printing maps of alternative office sites for the Northgate Project Manager to use for a big meeting this afternoon with the new tory administration- Chester West Employment Park being heavily featured. So are they really going through with cancelling Simpsons "slug"??

Yes, only an hour after thay came into power they phoned up to arange this meeting, that's what I read in the newspaper anyway.
But is it too far into the development to cancel it? Its been going on since 2004, they have got PP, they have got the time line and all of the dates sorted and it was supposed to start in September this year. How much power have the tory's got?

But is it too far into the development to cancel it? Its been going on since 2004, they have got PP, they have got the time line and all of the dates sorted and it was supposed to start in September this year.

Lets hope so- but the Tories really have appealed to the backward thinking part of the population, who think any innovation is threatening. Makes you realise just how petty they and their supporters are. Unfortunately, the previous adminisrtation didnt sell the new proposal enough to the electorate, prefered to hope it would silently go through. I have to deal with councillors regularly, they are a breed apart-mostly sincere enough, but not qualified in anything other than being a businessperson, chair of rotary club etc- there are no "professionals" so to speak when it comes to urban renewal etc. They are also by and large retired, so arent really representative, but i guess people have a choice of who they want to vote for.

I found this on the ChesterWiki site:

"The deal with ING Real Estate to go ahead with the Glass Slug is due to be signed at the end of May 2007, giving a window of around 4 weeks in which the Conservatives could block the proposals. They need to win at least 5 additional seats to take control of the city council on 3 May"

So the New Council offices could still be stopped.

A few views of and from the Forum today- you can see that this is a real blight on Chester, and cant be replaced quickly enough!

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Good stuff, some of those views are similar to ones I took the other week but didn't get round to posting

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I did proceed into The Forum as this point to take some photos of the interior, but the security guard came over to inform me that it was private property, and that I needed written permission from the council and all the owners of the shops if I want to take photos of it. I gave him my two penneth about being a jobsworth and left.

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Original meets facelift
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Great pics- that phone booth in the last pic i walk past daily-it really is gruesome-ive never seen one of that style anywhere else. As regards the secuirity man, you should have said "Im here to see S. Moore" and you would have been in! Went for someones leaving lunch in the awful hotel, its actually quite pleasant inside.

Still no word on the new offices- being handed a £30 million asset for allowing Northgate is going to be hard to get out of, I think the tories are after a cash handout of a similar value!!

Thanks. Can't believe I've never noticed that phone booth before. It's got to be getting on 30 years old by the look of it. I took a photo of the inside too

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That poster is for a club that closed in January 2004, so it's not really getting looked after is it?

Aha, I'll remember that next time. It wouldn't have done much good anyway, as according to my EXIF data, it was 10.37 on a Sunday morning. I'm not sure you would have been in!!

I've heard the hotel is really nice inside - but then again, I suppose you can't see the outside once you're in it!

I heard on the radio this morning that the Odeon has shown its last film, which is a bloody disgrace if you ask me. Apparently, it'll become a nightclub!

The new Chester Renaissance website is working now : http://www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk/

Its quite good, worth a look, but its got no information on the new council offices, so maybe its really not going ahead? But its got loads of information on the other major projects in Chester, including whats going on the old Delamere Street bus station.

There really is no excuse for spelling mistakes on a site like that - "Gorestacks car park"???

I don't like that dev at all, I think it will date really quickly and I can't see those shops getting much patronage. And the less said about the HQ the better.

On a positive note, the other two are probably spot on.

More maps being produced with potential office sites- so instead of a stunning new building, it could well be the council moves to an industrial unit on Bumpers Lane! I see the pub on the corner by the town hall (Coach and Horses)has reinvented itself as a gastro pub, to be honest it was incredibly down market before, especially for a so called tourist town. The Odeon is now boarded up. having been in Germany the other week, it strikes you just how craply Chester presents itself, with pretensions of being a "must see" tourist destination. Nowhere decent to eat, downmarket pubs, chav shops...its depressing

I wouldn't say the Coach and Horses was downmarket, it was just a good honest boozer. Depends what you like though I suppose, and I like good honest boozers. Chester still has a fair few, but they are slowly being yuppified. It's a shame really.

I see what you mean, but with its location in the market square it presented a poor experience for visitors. The Dublin Packet likewise. Shrewsbury Arms is a bit soul less. Im all in favour of drinking mans pubs but if a place reckons its a mega attraction for visitors it should do improve the environment. I quite like the Oddfellows Arms, The Egerton Arms et al.

Yeah, I suppose they are slap bang in the middle of where you find all the tourists, and they probably look none too welcoming. However, I think sanitising the place too much to pander to the tourists could be a little dangerous. I take your point though - maybe a spruce up could make them inviting without turning them into a parody.

The Shrop used to be a belting pub in my youth, but it seems to have lost its way. I also used to like The Deva, but that's gone. As has The Cestrian, and Claverton's on Lower Bridge Street, which, although it was a wine bar, was decidedly non-poncey and had a great chilled-out atmosphere.

Now it tends to be The Boot, The Vic and The Custom House for me, and the old Lock, Stock and Barrell if it's sunny.

I used to love walking past the Oddfellows on the way into town of a Friday night - you could see all the locals sitting there with bags of chips from the Chip-o-Dee

The Custom House does a good all day breakfast, an occasional treat for me! And on occasion i get a chippy lunch from the Chip o Dee. Now that i drive to work rather than use the train, the odd pint or two on the way home or at lunch is sadly no more. The Boot and the Falcon are really cheap, and the strong lager isnt bad. The awful lunchtime situation has been slightly alleiviated by a new "pizza by the slice" place on Bridge Street. The pastie shop there is pretty good too. The pub down the alley by the Cross, i forget its name, seems to have been empty for ages, shame as its a nice little corner. Duttons is just a bit too poncy, though the food is good. Someone at work was going on yesterday about drinking clubs for a supposed "select few", such as Max Farnham from Brookie. No idea where though.

I think the single biggest benefit of using public transport to commute is the ability to have a crafty pint, although I'm sure my liver would disagree.

The pub down the alleyway is called The Commercial. I had no idea it was empty. I haven't been there for years but it was indeed a secluded gem.

If we're talking about selective drinking clubs in Chester, I take it we're talking about Politic on Watergate Street. I think it is open to the great unwashed during the day for food, but it is a closed shop in the evenings. Whilst I'd normally eschew such places, my friend and his wife are close personal friends of the proprietor, so I have been in there several times. I have to say (through gritted teeth) that I quite like the place. The quality of the drinks (even the real ale) and the service are fantastic, and it has a nice, retro ambience. On the occasions I've been, I've yet to see Max Farnham (I saw him in Telford's once, where I've seen Ron Dixon several times) or his ilk. I was quite surprised by the lack of used car dealers and estate agents too.

I wonder how turning the Odeon into a night club will affect Chester's night life.

Chester is simply amazing!

I`ve been living there for 2 years. /2005-2007/ I`ll post some pics very soon. :)