The board received an update on the Crewe Town Deal Fund and discussed the future direction of the Town Board. No decisions were made at the meeting.

Crewe Town Deal Fund Update

The board was given an update on the status of the various projects which are being funded by the £22.9 million of funding provided by the government's Towns Fund.¹

The board heard that the project to refurbish the Lyceum Theatre had been completed, with the theatre reopening to the public in early November.

Work is also nearing completion on the new History Centre at the site of the former Earle Street Library.

Good progress was reported on the FutureOfWork Hub² and the Flag Lane Baths project, although the latter is dependent on additional funding being found to cover the full cost of the works.

There have been significant delays to two of the projects.

Enabling works have been completed on the remodelling of the area around Crewe Station, but the full scheme is dependent on the government giving the go ahead for the HS2 Golborne Link. ³

The report to the board explains that the current position is that:

Due to the dependencies on HS2 (and in particular the Golborne Link) the overall programme for the scheme is currently being reviewed.

... the timescales and deliverability of the project are being impacted by national planning decisions which are outside of the Town Board's influence.

Concerns were also raised about the Cheshire College South & West project to create a new Advanced Engineering & Digital Academy, which has been impacted by delays in receiving planning permission.

The report expresses concern that:

...the delay in receiving planning consent has created a significant risk to the delivery of the project by March 2026.

Future Direction of the Town Board

The board discussed whether it wanted to continue to exist in its current form, or whether it had reached the end of its natural life.

No decision was made, and the matter is to be discussed at the next meeting in January.