COUNCIL leader Cllr Russ Bowden hopes Time Square will ‘lift up’ the rest of Warrington town centre as he urged people to rediscover the heart of the town.

The construction of the Labour-run council’s flagship £142.5 million development is now complete.

It comprises sites including Cineworld, The Botanist, a new market, council offices and a public square.

Cllr Bowden remains confident about the success of the regeneration scheme – despite the impact of Covid-19.

He said: “A key point that I’d want to make is the scheme doesn’t rely on retail in that kind of traditional high street retail.

“What we’ve got is a market which is a very strong offer – it’s got some retail associated with it, in terms of food and more sort of traditional market goods.

“It’s got a very strong food court offer, the rest of the scheme is built around hospitality and leisure.

“Quite clearly, that has been the go-to place for Government, when you look at all the tiering restrictions it has been hospitality and leisure that have been hammered.

Warrington Guardian:

An aerial view of Time Square captured in 2019

“Despite that, we’ve still got a lot of strong interest in what Time Square is about, in terms of restaurants, in terms of contracts being signed up.

“I am absolutely sure that when we get out of the other side of this, Time Square will still be a really attractive place for people to come and do business.

“Nobody could have foreseen the impact of Covid – and what’s going on in Warrington is no different to anywhere else – but what we do know is there is still a really strong interest despite everything that is going on.

“Businesses will be looking at what their plans are when we get out of the other side and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of people in Warrington, one thing they’ll want to do, is have a bloody good party at the end of this.”

In 2014, the council estimated the cost of the Bridge Street Quarter project would be £52 million.

However, in 2016, new branding was unveiled after it was revealed the scheme would be named Time Square. At that time, it was priced at £107 million.

The town centre scheme has grown considerably since 2014, with Cllr Bowden saying it is unrecognisable from the first plans.

He has also set his sights on revitalising surrounding areas.

Cllr Bowden said: “What I hope is that what the council has done with Time Square really helps lift up the rest of the town centre.

“There are bits of Bridge Street that look a bit tired. We have seen some investment in that.

“What we need to do is really see the impact of Time Square, in terms of changing a bit of the dynamic of the town centre, about making it family-friendly, about making it a destination for hospitality and leisure.

“I am confident when people see the success of that it will have a positive impact on every other part of our town centre.”

Cllr Bowden says the major project should ultimately generate the council money, with revenue each year.

He said: “There’s a bigger economic impact on Warrington – a positive impact on Bridge Street, on Sankey Street, on Buttermarket Street and Horsemarket Street.

“We’ve got a town which is big enough to support that and people should rediscover Warrington town centre again.”

The Town Hall boss also highlighted ambitious efforts to increase town centre living – which is a key component of the authority’s vision.