Contents
Chester Investment
Prospectus
#investchester
Chester is open for business
A truly unique cathedral and university city, the Roman city of Chester is the county town of Cheshire, in the heart of the North West of England and close to the English–Welsh border. With over half a million people living within half an hour, Chester sits within a significant economic hinterland, including Merseyside, the Wirral, Ellesmere Port Industrial area and North Wales. The Manchester and Liverpool City regional economies are also less than an hour away.
LIVE
Chester is the embodiment of the liveable city. Its neighbourhoods are conveniently accessible by walking or cycling, connected to its wider hinterland with sustainable travel networks. There is a good mix of affordable and executive homes across the city centre, suburbs and nearby rural locations. There is a strong commitment from city leaders to further reinvigorate city centre living, as society has realised the benefits of living and working in beautiful and accessible surroundings in a sustainable way.
PLAY
A heritage destination attracting over 24.5 million visitors a year. A city full of treasures including the most complete set of Roman city walls in the country, an amphitheatre, tudor architecture, a castle and the gloriously quirky Rows – unique, continuous half-timbered galleries, reached by steps, which form a second row of shops above those at street level, some of which date back to medieval times. Waterfront leisure opportunities abound along the River Dee and the Shropshire Union canal and the city is blessed with plenty of green space in the 20 acre Grosvenor Park.
Anchor cultural and leisure attractions include the 2nd most visited attraction in the country, Chester Zoo, the stunning Chester Cathedral, the flagship Storyhouse arts centre and Chester Racecourse, the oldest in the world.
Chester has a thriving food and drink scene, a wide range of accommodation options and a shopping high street that has been voted as 2nd best in the country. Recent retail opening from the likes of Oliver Bonas and Home Bargains prove that the city is a desirable place for investment across the retail spectrum and is bouncing back well after the pandemic. The recently opened New Market space is soon to welcome its millionth visitor.
WORK
Chester sits within a significant economic hinterland, including Merseyside, the Wirral, the Ellesmere Port Industrial area and North Wales. The Manchester and Liverpool City regional economies are less than an hour away.
Due to this enviable position the city and its surrounding catchment has key industry strengths across a number of sectors including financial and business professional services, manufacturing and energy.
Chester is open for business. Investment opportunities are wide and varied from large regeneration projects such as the Chester City Gateway and Northgate Future Phases to numerous smaller scale unique sites. Chester is where business can be done. The city is big enough to do business but small enough to experience a sustainable way of life in beautiful surroundings
LEARN
Chester is a proud university city with its 14,000+ students providing energy and economic stimulus. Unsurprisingly, the city is attractive for students to remain after graduation. A survey by Career Readiness found that 85% of students say they would like to remain within a 30 mile radius. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 51% of the university’s research has been ranked as world-leading or internationally excellent, demonstrating the enormous strides the institution is taking in this area. It has strengths in fields such as health services, law and creative & digital.
Key facts and figures
The Roman city of Chester sits at the heart of the North West offering a compelling proposition for investors
Within an hour’s drivetime of Chester there is a total population of around
5.6 million
14,000+ students
at University of Chester, with 85% wishing to remain in the area after graduation
41.2% in a 30 minute drive are employed in managerial / professional / associated technical roles
40 minutes
to the UK’s third busiest airport at Manchester
2 hours
by train to London
Home to several leading financial institutions, including Bank of America, Lloyds Banking Group and M&S Bank
30 min catchment has significant manufacturing strengths inc. chemicals, pharma, food and transport
<1 hour
to Manchester and Liverpool city region economies
Easy access to the UK’s motorway network with M53, M56, M6 and the A55 on the doorstep
160,000+
degree educated working age people within 30 minutes of Chester
24.5 million
tourists a year worth £1.54bn to the economy
25.9% Social grade AB in Cheshire West & Chester - higher than the regional and national average – resulting in greater spending power
78.3% Economic
activity rate in Cheshire West & Chester - higher than the regional average
91% of A-level students in Cheshire West & Chester achieved 2+ A levels in 2021/2022, higher than national averages
The Opportunity
Chester has a diverse business base with well known operators across many sectors including financial and business professional services; manufacturing/engineering; energy; creative & digital and health and wellbeing services.
Its visitor economy is outstanding with a winning combination of a truly unique cultural heritage offer combined with a superior shopping experience, a thriving food and drink scene and a wide array of accommodation.
The city centre is home to many businesses in a range of office accommodation types, including converted buildings such as The Steam Mill and purpose built modern offices at strategic locations such as One City Place.
The prestigious Chester Business Park, only a mile out of the city centre is another key business location, home to thousands of employees at many internationally renowned companies, with highly qualified technical skills. Set within expansive and impressive parkland, the business park is easily accessible to the city centre and the nearby motorway network and has plentiful housing on its doorstep.
Other key business locations include Cheshire West Employment Park, Sealand Road Industrial Estate and Capenhurst. Capenhurst is home to one of the UK’s largest nuclear engineering clusters, and Chester’s close proximity to the Ellemsere Port Industrial area offers the city a unique oppotunity to become a home for new business innovation in energy and technology and a leading location for a new and emerging circular economy.