There’s a really interesting and encouraging story emerging here…
…and very different to our first ‘audit’ walk-see in the autumn of ‘22.
- It’s actual High Street quietly transforming thanks to a combination of investing landlord, council tackling vacancy grant scheme and enterprising business owners;
- A new ‘Southern Gateway Link’ improving connectivity between the town centre and railway station, as one of a number of completed and planned public realm improvements;
- Major current developments include a co-working and office space facility (‘TADIC’), a state-of-the-art archives centre and a new Youth Zone;
- The beginnings of a trail of wall art and other #streetart installations brightening previously blank spaces;
- Progress through planning and towards re-use for five of the largest town centre long-time empty, former #retail brand store units including splitting off of upper floors to increase residential here;
- The brilliant story that is the community-led artspace and gallery taking on – as Platform – a much bigger, again long-empty, ex-retail brand unit after a successful and popular run as a pop up in its first (of which more later this week);
- A number of other new hospitality, leisure and services openings with several still in the pipeline.
This is Crewe town centre, and the list above is the result of work over a number of years by a range of partners: agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chamber, BID and others.
All involved will agree there’s a way to go yet and more challenges to face down, but from that first visit in autumn ‘22 it’s already a much-changed and still improving picture…!
It’d be good to hear what the key positive elements are in your evolving #highstreet…
