House of Fraser has today (7th June) notified Cheshire West and Chester Council that it no longer plans to progress with a proposed new store in Chester’s Northgate development.
The decision is part of the firm’s national Company Voluntary Arrangement which includes the closure of a large number of House of Fraser stores.
Council leader Cllr Samantha Dixon said: “It is obviously disappointing that House of Fraser’s financial problems have led to one of our tenants to change their decision to be part of the Chester Northgate scheme.
“Whilst we remain committed to regenerating the Northgate area of the city and to delivering a high quality scheme, clearly we will reflect on the impact of this announcement.”
She continued: “We will continue to keep the mix and phasing of the scheme under review and continue to engage with interested parties as we have done all along.
“The council’s planning permission provides the flexibility for us to make changes in reaction to changes in the market in line with our prudent approach to development.
“The retail element of the scheme is scheduled to be delivered in the second phase of the development and so House of Fraser’s decision at this point does not fundamentally undermine our ambition to see the comprehensive redevelopment of this vital part of the city.”
The Chester Northgate project will transform the north west quarter of Chester city centre with a new leisure, residential and shopping development.
The council asserts that Chester Northgate is not a new shopping centre and that it is a ‘development of open shopping streets, parades and plazas’ that will ‘integrate seamlessly’ with the surrounding parts of Chester city centre.
There are further details about House of Fraser on the BBC News website.
