The year of 2024 brought with it a number of huge planning stories, and many of them will continue to progress in 2025.
From massive residential developments to retail offerings, and from education establishments to artwork – there is plenty going on in Warrington.
Here are just some of the planning stories in the pipeline you need to keep an eye on in 2025.
Huge housing developments as homebuilding booms
This one goes without saying, but there are a number of residential schemes both underway and proposed in 2025.
Key ones in terms of size include Peel Hall with work underway following decades of battling against homebuilding by residents.
When complete, 1,200 homes will be constructed on land near Houghton Green close to the M62 – and it is not the only green space earmarked for housing.
South Warrington will not escape development, with 4,200 homes planned over the coming years – including at Grappenhall Hays and Thelwall.
Construction work has also already started on developments in Croft and at Omega, on land formerly occupied by RAF Burtonwood airbase.
Fiddler’s Ferry demolition continues ahead of redevelopment
Work has been going on behind the scenes for sure, but 2025 could see Fiddler’s Ferry almost erased from the map.
The end of 2023 saw four of the Cuerdley site’s eight iconic cooling dowers demolished, with the expectation that the remaining four would be gone by the end of 2024.
However, they remain standing, but surely they will meet their demise come the turn of 2026.
This would pave the way for continued remediation of the brownfield site ahead of redevelopment, which includes hundreds of new homes and industrial premises.
The iconic Fiddler’s Ferry power station cooling towers
Expansion of town’s SEND education provisions
Warrington’s offering to young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been lacking for some time.
The turn of 2025 though looks to address this, with two projects looking to boost the provisions available to parents.
One will see the town’s iconic Peace Centre transformed into post-16 and post-19 educational facility, including classrooms and multi-purpose spaces.
Another scheme in the works is the construction of a brand new, 56-place SEND school in Padgate.
Coffee shop plans – but will it cause traffic chaos?
Normally something as minor as a new coffee shop would not make the list – even if it is a Starbucks.
But what makes this application interesting is the location – right at the entrance of Riverside Retail Park and just off Bridge Foot.
The retail park is renowned for its horrendous traffic issues, especially in the build-up to Christmas, so is this really the right place?
Planning documents state that everything will be fine, but the conversion of the former Harvester restaurant has still not been approved, more than a year after it was proposed.
Hotel and apartments on gateway street to town centre
An enormous scheme to build 550 homes and a 160-bed hotel on a car park in Warrington town centre was approved in October.
The land on Winwick Street is currently used as a car park but plans submitted to Warrington Borough Council seek for it to become a huge multi-storey development.
This application proposed the erection of a mixed-use development comprising four blocks of up to 12 storeys, which would accommodate up to 550 dwellings, a 160-bed hotel, commercial office or retail space and 200 residential parking spaces.
The site, known as the Wireworks, is approximately 1.2 hectares in size and is split between Tanners Lane and Winwick Street.
Such a development has been suggested for a number of years, but time will tell whether any spades will hit the ground in 2025.
Major changes to Cockhedge quarter of town centre
Phase one of a major transformation of the Cockhedge quarter of the town centre is more or less complete.
Cockhedge Shopping Centre, which looked tired, has been given a new lease of life, with a number of units demolished and refurbished to offer a smaller but more tailored offering.
This is just one part of a wider development vision for the surrounding area, which includes the site of the now-demolished former council home at New Town House.
Around 900 apartments are planned, along with a hotel and the development of tens of thousands of square feet of business space and parking.
The site relates to land measuring 2.7 hectares bounded by Scotland Road, Buttermarket Street and Crown Street, which could see some development in 2025.
Designs for a revamped Cockhedge Shopping Centre
Supermarket wars over as Lidl to open on retail park
Lidl won a planning battle with rival Tesco to open a new supermarket on Pinners Brown Retail Park, with work set to start in 2025.
Currently, the site consists of four separate units occupied by Wickes DIY and trade store, which will remain, as well as Sofology, The Jungle children’s soft play and Carpet Right.
Lidl has acquired unit four, currently occupied by Carpet Right – which entered administration in July and announced the store was to close – as well as unit three occupied by The Jungle and a portion of unit two occupied by Sofology Warrington.
It was proposed to reconfigure and extend units two, three and four in order to deliver a Lidl store within units two and three, with The Jungle relocating into the smaller unit two.
As part of the development, certain areas of the existing car park will be modernised to improve parking arrangements and traffic flow around the site.
Huge heritage sculpture planned for side of motorway
A piece of artwork celebrating Warrington’s heritage is set to be built close to the M62 as the centre point of Mountpark roundabout, within Omega South on Skyline Drive.
Entitled Bolt of Lightning, the highlight of the art piece would be an iconic Second World War American aircraft – the Lockheed P-38 Lightning – which would be illuminated and bathed in wartime searchlights at night.
The sculpture will honour RAF Burtonwood airbase, with many warehouses and homes in the Omega vicinity – and the M62 itself – built on land formerly occupied by the base.
It will measure 22.8 metres, making it larger than the Angel of the North near Newcastle.
Hopefully, work on the striking sculpture can begin soon, with many keen to see how it turns out.
Other artworks are to be expected as well, following the successful Paul Cullen mural on the side of The King’s Head pub, which was said to be the first of many in the town.