For the council and locals, the new scheme cannot come soon enough. But at a time when the retail and restaurant sectors are struggling, will the project prove a success?

It is 50 years since Warrington was designated one of the government’s new towns. In the years after the Second World War, it expanded rapidly and the local economy boomed, in turn fuelling a need for more homes and commercial buildings.

But, as with many new towns, much of the retail development was on retail parks on the outskirts and Warrington’s town centre became increasingly overlooked.