‘Appetite’ for hotel and housing development on Cabinet Works

The Cabinet Works and Garnett’s water tower, on Barbauld Street, were demolished following concerns over public safety.

Steve Park, the council’s director of operational growth, provided an update on the key town centre location during last Tuesday’s supporting the local economy policy committee meeting.

He said: “There is an appetite from the private sector – not formally because we have not put it to the market just yet – of residential and hotel development which we are encouraged by.

“That feedback has been qualified somewhat in so much as a slightly larger site would make any development there more viable.

“By that what we mean is what was, I think, anecdotally called Poll Tax House, on Rylands Street, obviously the council is going to have its offices and the Rylands Street office will close and that presents us with a development opportunity.

“So, rather than take Cabinet Works forward to the market now in its current state it makes more sense to widen the development site and undertake a re-masterplanning exercise and design exercise and put that to the market to see how the private sector in a formal way.

“That is something we are looking to do certainly before autumn, we will have that site in front of the private sector.”

Cllr Bob Barr, leader of the town’s Liberal Democrats, believes the Cabinet Works and Poll Tax House sites are critical to the ‘future success and image’ of Warrington, so supports the idea of ‘bringing them together’ as a joint opportunity.

He added: “However, marketing for residential or hotel use only is too unimaginative.

“I would like to see whether a ‘We-Work’ and ‘We-Live’ offering of co-operative accommodation and flexible workspaces could work here as a sound business proposition.

“It is also important that a building as striking as the Cabinet Works should be replaced with something equally radical and exciting.”