City of Now

People and Communities

Chester is a great city, with a rich history, vibrant communities, successful businesses and valuable assets. Yet, by considering the way it approaches the following key themes in the future, we believe it could be even better.

• An Ageing Population:  The age structure of Cheshire West and Chester is projected to alter dramatically over the next 15 years. The growth in an older population will require additional social, healthcare and housing, support services to be planned for and provided, as well as a range of housing that meets the needs of an ageing population.
• Health Inequalities:  Some people and places in Chester suffer disproportionately from poor health, including mental health and lifestyle issues.
• Homes  and Neighbourhoods:  Chester is a desirable place to live but few new homes and high house prices prevent local people and both younger and older generations from staying in, or moving into, the city.
• Supporting Life Long Learning:  Chester has concentrations of communities with low skills levels, limited qualifications and a high incidence of child poverty.

Business and Investment

• Economic Inclusion:  Chester’s households have varying levels of income, with many households not benefiting from opportunities in the city.
• Competitive City Centre:  Chester has struggled to keep its place in the retail rankings, with strong regional competition for visitors from Liverpool, Manchester and Cheshire Oaks. The city centre has a unique attraction in The Rows but there has been limited investment in existing and new assets and Chester is not living up to its potential.
• Unleashing the Potential:  Chester is well positioned to benefit as the economy recovers but the city needs to support entrepreneurialism and business growth, improve the way it markets itself to potential investors and provide the right facilities and services to secure investment and new jobs.

A Living City

• Cultural Offer:  Chester has a long, interesting past that has shaped its current cultural offer, with much of its heritage intact and proving a big draw for residents and visitors alike. However, the quality of a wider cultural provision and maximization of the city’s assets, is questionable.
• Negative Night Time Economy:  Chester’s evening economy is now known for its ‘drinking culture’, which does not encourage a diverse mix of people to use it at night and this makes the city centre feel unsafe after dark. This must change.
• Leisure and recreation:  Chester has a dated leisure offer, with investment required to support its communities needs. The City has few green recreational spaces. It does not use its assets including the River Dee waterside and Grosvenor Park to their full potential.
• Movement and Accessibility:  The city is constrained by a limited capacity on its access routes and throughout the city centre. However, a more efficient parking strategy and effective bus routing would simplify and reduce trips across the city. The inner ring-road and its roundabouts and underpasses also act as barriers to pedestrians and cyclists and way-finding into and around the city is currently difficult.