ELLESMERE Port's Levelling Up transformation plans are 'progressing well', the council have said.

The project, using £13,378,478 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Levelling Up Fund will include preparations for low-carbon town centre housing around Coronation Road to help bring new footfall to the town centre and exciting plans for Ellesmere Port Market.

The third element of the transformation plan will improve pedestrian and cycle links with secure bike storage to make it safer and easier to walk or cycle from Ellesmere Port railway station into the heart of the town centre.

Additional funding

The Council has now been awarded an additional £274,000 from the Active Travel Fund 4 (ATF4) managed by Active Travel England.

The additional funding will enable an extended walking, wheeling and cycling route to be designed for future delivery between the M53 underpass and the Sutton Way/Stanney Lane junction. This longer route forms part of the Council’s adopted Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.

The Active Travel Fund nationally will deliver a range of schemes across the country, including 121 miles of new cycle track, 77 miles of new paths and greenways and initiatives to make streets safer around 130 schools.

The design team will consider all transport methods, including bus stop infrastructure/routes and loading requirements for businesses. They will also consider the requirements for the market, as well as opportunities for signage and wayfinding.

The new proposals will tie into existing cycling and walking routes such as those on Stanney Lane.

READ > Ellesmere Port officers 'urge' public not to approach man hiding in bushes

'We are committed to improving areas across the borough'

Councillor Karen Shore – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Highways said: "We are committed to improving areas across the borough, Ellesmere Port joins projects already underway in Winsford and plans for Northwich and Chester.

"Engineering specialists are being commissioned to design the new active travel route, and their plans will be shared in the autumn with residents, commuters, and businesses along the route.

"Construction work on the Levelling Up Fund project elements is provisionally scheduled to start in Spring 2024 and completed in winter 2024."

The Ellesmere Port project will include enhancements to the public areas around the market in addition to York Road and Wellington Road. 

Improvements will be made to the pedestrian entrances to the market plus a new multi-functional spill-out space for businesses and events.

Traders and residents have been involved in conversations over the past few months as the plans for Ellesmere Port Market are developed and these will be shared more widely when they have been completed.

This part of the project will include transforming the flea market into a flexible space for specialist markets and events, creating an entrepreneurial start-up space and importantly changing the fabric of the building so that it will be much more energy efficient and fit for the future. The Market will also have new ‘changing place’ facilities for disabled customers and their carers.

Councillor Shore added: "Ellesmere Port is at the centre of major investment projects, and we are working alongside the private sector-led investment in industry and housing. Last week we officially launched Origin and its multi-million investment opportunities for the industrial area of Ellesmere Port."