When Barons Quay shopping centre opened its doors in 2016, it was hoped it would transform Northwich town entre.
But six years later, many of the units still sit empty - with just under three-quarters of the 225,000 sq ft site occupied.
Once completed, the £80m project brought in big names including Asda and Odeon, with smaller units also currently occupied by brands such as H&M, River Island, Bear Coffee, Sports Direct and Card Factory. A total of 18 lettings have been completed since opening, according to Cheshire West and Chester Council.
However, it appears to have done little to turn around Northwich's fortunes - and it continues to be handicapped by what the council describes as 'challenging' trading environments. The Covid pandemic came four years into its life and now the cost of living crisis is hitting the high street hard.
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Yet some are asking questions over whether the town's residents wanted the development in the first place. Cllr Sam Naylor, who represents Northwich Witton on Cheshire West and Chester Council, claimed the authority did not listen to residents at the time the decision was taken to develop the site.
Speaking to Cheshire Live recently, he said: "I've stressed this all along, it's important that Cheshire West and Chester Council listen to the locally elected people and listen to the residents. To be fair, if you look back, they didn't want Barons Quay, there was no appetite for it and it came at a time when that model of retail was fading."
One of the businesses to have come and gone is Sticky Paws - a popular play area and restaurant run by the people behind the Ice Cream Farm in Tattenhall. The business was unfortunate to have opened in March 2020, just a week before the first Covid lockdown, Cheshire Live reports .
Jonathan Fell from Sticky Paws said: "Sticky Paws was an exciting new concept that we wanted to bring to Northwich. However, the timing could not have been worse for us, opening just one week before the first Covid lockdown.
"This terrible timing has greatly affected the business and sadly it’s never really been given the chance it deserved. The pandemic has prevented us from reaching projected sales plus it has caused a recruitment crisis in hospitality that has impacted both of our businesses."
Despite the sad news, optimism still remains around Barons Quay. Responding to the closure, Cllr Richard Beacham, Cheshire West's cabinet member for inclusive growth, economy and regeneration, described the site as 'an attractive location' and said there were 'exciting ideas for the unit'.
The closure was preceded by good news in the form of Barrhead Travel's long-delayed opening at Barons Quay. Local manager Sean Buckley praised the 'community spirit' in the town as well as his 'excitement' to work with other businesses and the shopping centre to 'help promote shopping local'.
A spokesperson for Cheshire West and Chester Council confirmed to Cheshire Live that they have 'solicitors instructed or are under offer' on three empty units. This would leave them with seven units left to fill.
The statement said: "The council is continuing to work with partners to let Barons Quay in a challenging trading environment. We are seeing progress in our plans to fully let the site over the last year and we are currently 72 per cent let by floor area.
"We have completed 18 lettings since opening. We have solicitors instructed or are under offer on a further three units. This will leave us with approximately 50,000 sq ft or seven units to let but there is flexibility to reconfigure or amalgamate this space to suit the changing requirements of retailers."
But in the meantime, Northwich continues to see closure after closure elsewhere on the high street. After 110 years, the demise of Northwich's M&S - seen as the cornerstone of the town centre and a flagship store around which Barons Quay was built - kickstarted the mass exodus in 2019. New Look then closed in 2020, Bratts shut its iconic store last year, and this year's heartbreak for Northwich residents came as The Seafarer chippy and Hormbrey's butchers brought the shutters down.
This has led to further questions around whether it is possible to fill Barons Quay or whether some can be repurposed. When speaking about the Weaver Square regeneration recently, Cllr Naylor said it would be 'madness to say we want more retail because we have empty shops and empty units at Barons Quay'
He added: "It would be great if some big names come and occupy the still-empty units at Barons Quay but I can't see that happening because there's no call for it.
"So we've got to look at ways we can repurpose some of the empty units at Barons Quay. We have got ideas for that."
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