Business leaders and property developers will meet at Chester Racecourse on Thursday 15 May for the launch of the Cheshire West and Chester Property Review 2025.
The Review looks at the growing economy across industrial, retail, leisure and the housing market. Despite high interest rates, 2024 was a strong year showing a cautious optimism in the market.
The industrial property market in Cheshire West and Chester has seen a significant 116 percent increase from 2019. Overall, 120, 136 sqm of transactions took place across 43 deals throughout 2024. This highlights the borough's importance as an industrial and logistics hub in the North West region.
Ellesmere Port remained the leading location for industrial activity, representing 73 percent of the total floorspace (87,654 sqm across 13 deals). The scale of development and occupier demand in the area reflects its strategic location, strong connectivity, and availability of large-scale employment land, including sites within the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone.
There were 65 office transactions recorded during 2024, with 13,419 sqm of transacted floorspace. While national economic conditions led to softer demand in some regions, the west Cheshire office market demonstrated resilience, particularly in the Chester submarket.
In the past year a total of 1,366 new homes were completed across the borough with 377 (27 percent) delivered as affordable housing.
New sites are being prepared for housing in Ellesmere Port town centre for low carbon family housing, alongside developments at Northwich Weaver Square and the second phase of Chester Northgate.
Launching the review at Chester Racecourse, Councillor Nathan Pardoe, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation said: "The report shows strong growth and confidence in the economy across the borough with multi million industrial investment projects and a growing house building market.
"As a Council we continue to support this growth, investing in skills and employment provision across key sites in the borough to support individuals accessing the labour market and ensuring improvements to the digital infrastructure connectivity in key rural locations and Chester city centre.
"In addition to the flagship £70 million Northgate development completed last year we have further regeneration projects underway in Ellesmere Port, Winsford and Northwich."
Cheshire West and Chester Council will be joining partners in Leeds later this month for The UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF). The event takes place over three days 20 to 22 May at the Royal Armouries Leeds and Leeds Jock. Over 16,000 people will visit the event attracting over 1,750 investors hearing from 1,250 speakers and over 150 exhibitors.