Warrington’s growth showcased at Annual Property Review
Business leaders have been learning more about Warrington’s growth, resilience, community spirit, partnerships and confidence for the future.
The launch of the 24th Warrington Annual Property Review, took place on Friday 22 April at The Park Royal Hotel, providing an in-depth analysis of the Warrington property development and investment market.
It marked a return to a physical Annual Property Review launch, after the 2020 and 2021 events were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a full house at The Park Royal, with almost 200 delegates in attendance.
The Review featured presentations of statistics and reports independently commissioned, compiled and collated by Warrington-based commercial property agents, BE Group, who have authored the report since its inception.
This year’s Review demonstrates Warrington’s ongoing commitment to support the business community through the challenging times and to create an environment where they can thrive, the resilience of Warrington’s high street and major investments which show that economic momentum is once more building in the town.
The event saw presentations given to businesses by:
• John Laverick, Managing Director, Warrington & Co - who explained how Warrington is looking ahead to a successful future
• Vince Sandwell, Managing Director, The BE Group – who provided the summary of the Annual Property Review
• Nichola O’Brien, Business Development Manager, Equans - who discussed achieving a reduction in carbon footprint across the property portfolio
Warrington Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for economic development and innovation, Cllr Tom Jennings, said: “It was fantastic to be able to return to a physical event for this year’s Annual Property Review. The event was a huge success, giving our businesses the opportunity to gain a valuable insight into Warrington’s economic performance.
“We have a robust, innovative and resilient business sector, which has left us in a strong position to meet the unprecedented challenges of the past two years. Now, we are looking to the future - and we can be very encouraged.
“Warrington remains a very attractive place to do business, and the new investment we are seeing coming into our town gives us every reason to feel confident about our ongoing growth. It was great to be able to share this confidence with business leaders from across the borough.”
Council Chief Executive and Chair of Warrington & Co, Prof Steven Broomhead MBE, said: “Over the past year, Warrington’s business community has once again shown strong resilience, community spirit and partnership.
“Warrington’s Annual Property Review highlights a number of success stories which show that our town remains a business and investment leader. This gives us great optimism as we continue on our journey towards a bright and successful future.
“We were delighted to once again have the opportunity to showcase to our business community the ongoing growth of our town as a thriving, confident, business-friendly destination.”
Successes of the past year include:
• Securing £22m in Town Deal funding to deliver a programme of seven transformative projects. The first of these on site, a brand new, cutting-edge bus depot, will support one of the largest all-electric bus fleets in the UK.
• The Cities Outlook report finding that the resilience of high street spending in Warrington during the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the town outperforming most other big cities and towns.
• An overall increase in investment in Warrington, with some significant office deals completed, including the University of Chester relocating all of its teaching provision to Warrington town centre.
• A huge uplift in house sales and prices, and plans moving forward for a brand new hotel close to Warrington Bank Quay train station.
• Warrington’s success in hosting the Tour of Britain cycling race for the first time, boosting our local economy, bringing an influx of visitors and showcasing the town’s sporting credentials to a global audience.
The Warrington Annual Property Review is hosted each year by Warrington & Co – the town’s urban regeneration and inward investment partnership.
This year’s event was sponsored by:
• Baker Mallett
• Chancerygate
• Cheshire & Warrington LEP
• M7 Real Estate
• Miller Developments
• Muse
• Orbit Developments
• Persimmon Homes
• Pin Properties
• Squire Patton Boggs
The document is available to download at warringtonandco.com. Printed copies are also available on request.