Council buys £2.75m Royal Mail site

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Cheshire East Council has bought the landmark former Royal Mail site in Crewe for £2.75m, making the site its biggest purchase to date.

The 4.5-acre Weston Road site became vacant when Royal Mail relocated its sorting offices to Stoke and Warrington.

The site is seen as a prime spot for a landmark development as part of an ambitious plan to redevelop Crewe Rail station – identified as a key project in delivering the 'All Change for Crewe' vision to revitalise the town and wider region.

Speaking to the Macclesfield Express about the Royal Mail site deal last year, Councillor Frank Keegan suggested his removal from the cabinet could have been connected to the council's decision to bid for this land.

He told the Macclesfield Express reporter "It will worsen the council's revenue budgets and will not be significant for the authority. I would not have signed it off. Now I wonder if this is why they got rid of me."

Cheshire East Council Leader Wesley Fitzgerald said: "Last year we set our clear ambition for the future of Crewe, through All Change for Crewe. This is tangible evidence of our commitment.

"This acquisition is part of our wider vision to grow and develop a strong and sustainable Cheshire East economy, which will improve people's life opportunities and enhance the environment in which they live."

The Weston Road site comprises a 4,517sq metre mainly single-storey Royal Mail Centre building with adjacent parking and the 7,948sq metre, part two-storey, part three-storey Royal Mail delivery offices, as well as an extensive yard which serviced both offices.

The site is adjoining the West Coast line railway station and has the potential for redevelopment for multi storey car parking, a hotel, residential properties, offices or a small scale retail development.

The move is the latest in a series of major regeneration projects undertaken by the Council across Cheshire East – including the recently-completed £52m Alderley Edge Bypass, the £3.5m Poynton village improvement scheme and ambitious plans for the regeneration of Macclesfield.

Councillor Jamie Macrae, Cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: "The need to acquire this site to deliver a new 'rail gateway' for Crewe, and a potential transport interchange for the wider region with increased parking provision, has been a key ambition for Crewe over many years. Cheshire East Council has now become the catalyst for that project.

"Our vision for a new rail gateway includes improved passenger facilities, a high-quality concourse, improved parking and traffic arrangements and a landmark building at this important location.

"This is a long-term commitment and we are realistic that, in the current funding climate, we won't be able to deliver this project immediately. We will be working with private sector partners and public bodies over coming months and years to bring it to fruition.

"This is another example of our commitment to be an excellent Council that works with others to deliver for Cheshire East.

"This is the largest site acquisition that the Council has made to date but it is the type of acquisition that large local authorities such as ours make regularly to deliver strategic regeneration priorities.

"We are developing proposals for short-term uses that may be suitable for the site while we develop our detailed proposals, together with our strategic partners, for the long-term regeneration of the station."

Tags:
Cheshire East Council
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Tom Harrop
Tuesday 1st February 2011 at 2:51 pm
Great! If they've got £2.75m in petty cash, maybe they can re-employ all the people they made redundant!
Duncan Herald
Tuesday 1st February 2011 at 6:03 pm
What will be the eventual full cost?
We hear figures of over £5 million. That would keep a lot of people in jobs!