A long-term vision to transform Crewe town centre will be considered by Cheshire East Council, with plans to partner with a developer on a housing-led regeneration scheme, including retail and restaurants.

The proposal, which will be considered by the economy and growth committee on Tuesday 9 September, is to redevelop key council-owned sites in the heart of Crewe town centre, including the undeveloped part of the Royal Arcade site, Chester Street Car Park, and Delamere Street Car Park.

The plan could bring over 300 high-quality new homes, commercial space for shops and businesses and better public spaces, helping to attract more people into the town centre and make it a livelier and more attractive place.

Deputy leader of Cheshire East Council and chair of the economy and growth committee, Cllr Michael Gorman, said: "Crewe has faced its fair share of challenges, but we remain ambitious and confident about its future.

The Royal Arcade plan could bring over 300 high-quality new homes, commercial space for shops and businesses and better public spaces (Ryan Parker).

"Our ambition for Crewe is for it to become the 'Best Small City' in Europe by 2050, with the 'Crewe360 hub' at the core of this vision, a transformed railway station gateway designed to anchor long-term growth.

"We have also been delivering a range of transformative regeneration projects for Crewe.

"This report marks the beginning of the next phase in regenerating the town centre – laying the foundations to create a place that truly works for residents and businesses and helping us attract the investment needed to bring our plans to life.

"We want to build on the success of recent regeneration projects, move away from simply relying on the struggling retail sector and unlock new opportunities for growth.

"While we recognise there are risks, particularly around funding and market conditions, we believe the potential rewards for Crewe and the wider borough are too great to ignore."

Cheshire East has already delivered a number of projects aiming to help bring more people into the town centre and offer a wider range of things for them to do, including the Market Hall, Lifestyle Centre, and Lyceum Square event space, known as Ly2.

This year, many other regeneration projects will accelerate, including The Dome Youth Zone, a new facility for young people on the site of the former Oak Street Car Park, and Cheshire Archives Crewe, which is on the site of the former library and civic centre car park and will create a new centre to co-host the region's extensive archives.

Cllr Gorman said: "We have long held plans to redevelop some of our town centre car parks, and that work started with the closure of the Oak Street and Civic Centre car parks.

Delamere Street Car Park and Chester Street Car Park are also set to be developed in the housing-led scheme (Ryan Parker).

"Now the multi-storey car park has opened, we can meet future parking demand in Crewe, including from new residents in the town centre, and are in a position to move to the next stages of our plans."

To move the plans forward, the council has engaged with a well-known developer of residential-led mixed use schemes in places with similar economic challenges as Crewe.

The developer has proposed a phased development for the town centre, including a mix of housing types and active ground-floor uses, such as retail, restaurants, cafes or offices.

The council is seeking to enter into a pre-development agreement with them and to fund early-stage planning and technical work.

The proposal supports other major plans for the town, including the £1bn+ investment in Leighton Hospital.

Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Nick Mannion, added: "Crewe is one of the sub-region's key priority areas for growth and we want to create a high-quality town centre that reflects Crewe's character and has more town centre living, with the benefits that brings in terms of footfall and sense of community.

"We are excited by the vision, but we're also realistic. We'll be working closely with partners, stakeholders, and the community to ensure this development reflects Crewe's needs and aspirations."

Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Nick Mannion, with Deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Michael Gorman (CEC).

While the longer-term plans progress, the council is continuing work to open up the undeveloped part of the Royal Arcade site as a 'meanwhile space', as soon as possible, with new seating, lighting, picnic areas and space for events and activities to take place all in the pipeline.

Subject to planning permission, the council expects to be able to open the site back up by spring next year.