PLANS have been submitted for a five-storey office block in Warrington town centre.
Objectors claim the development would be “massive and visually intrusive” and would dwarf an adjoining attractive, Grade 2 Listed Georgian terrace.
But planning officers are recommending the borough council’s planning sub-committee to grant approval.
The scheme involves Stanley Street but fronts on to Wilson Patten Street, next to the existing telephone exchange building.
Commercial property developers Chesro Ltd have submitted an outline proposal only and detailed proposals would be submitted at a later stage.
But illustrative plans indicate a flat roofed building of contemporary design, mainly glazed on its two main frontages.
The rear would be hidden from view by the telephone exchange.
Planners say the site appears to be currently used as a car park, although this use is unauthorised. It was previously owned by the borough council and was then landscaped open space.
Objections from businesses in Stanley Street say the site was previously undeveloped and was a domestic garden. They fear increased traffic, parking problems and a loss of light to existing buildings.
They say the building would be massive and visually intrusive and could cause damage to existing mature trees.
Planning officers acknowledge the proposed building is of greater massing than the Listed terrace but say it will help to mask the telephone exchange, which they describe as an unattractive mid-20th century building.
Five-storey office block plan
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
3 Comments
More tin pot tack! What’s the point of ‘masking’ one ugly building with another ugly building….and losing valuable open space in doing so?
Suggestion…the telephone exchange will no doubt be demolished soon anyway, so why not demolish that first and build something that the town centre actually needs? Perhaps a library? Warrington ‘aspires’ to compete with Manchester and Liverpool yet has nothing in comparison with regards to public facilities. Once famed as a centre of learning, Warrington is now infamous as a town of tack ! So a decent library built of a design to merge rather than contrast with the surrounding listed buildings, surrounded by attractively landscaped open space might be a more worthwhile option for this site.
Warrington already has a library just up the road from there Sha 🙂 Cant see why they need to build a new 5 storey office block though as there are loads of existing buildings up for rent and sale around there. Guess that’s what happens when the council sell bits of their land off eh.
Yes Dizzy, Warrington already has a library, which opened in 1848 as the first rate supported library in Britain, moving to it’s present premises in 1857. In those days, no doubt, Warrington’s library would have been regarded as a fine library in deed. However, since then the population of Warrington has grown somewhat!!