A £20 MILLION plan to rejuvenate Widnes town centre moved a step closer this week.

Consultants are being appointed to carry out a retail and traffic impact assessment of the new development.

Planning committee chairman Rob Polhill said the council will be asking the consultants to examine the traffic, car parking and public transport needs of the whole town centre.

Once their findings are published mid-summer, councillors will be able to formulate their planning briefs, traffic management and public transport proposals.

As exclusively revealed in the World last September, a 90,000 sq ft foodstore - believed to be Asda - is being built on the Halton College site in Simms Cross.

Four new developments are earmarked at the other end of the town at the top of Albert Road.

Altogether, 106 homes and 60 businesses have been earmarked for demolition to make way for the two schemes.

A major housing scheme is planned for the old market car park in Lacey Street to re-house any tenants from Lambert Court who wish to remain in the town centre.

This residential development includes 44 three-storey town houses with a further 36 being built in phase two.

The huge rejuvenation scheme won't cost Halton Council a penny as the authority has teamed up with property developers St Modwen Developments Limited to form Widnes Regeneration Partnership.

The whole project is being funded through public and private sector finance.

The developer has agreed to undertake the impact assessment studies, which will be jointly funded with the council.

It is estimated that the additional work for the traffic impact assessment could cost up to £50,000 and the retail impact study up to £20,000.

Provision has already been made within the capital programme to cover additional items such as specialist consultancy work.

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