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Port Arcades owner promises investment ‘in the millions’ for shopping centre

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Port Arcades owner promises investment ‘in the millions’ for shopping centre

The firm that owns The Port Arcades has promised investment “in the millions” for the struggling shopping centre — including the demolition of one of Ellesmere Port town centre’s “troubled” buildings. Blackburn-based Adhan Group purchased the lease of the shopping centre from Cheshire West and Chester Council prior to a 2020 auction.

Plans include a cosmetic “overhaul”, rent-free deals intended to attract new tenants, and the demolition of the vacant former B&M Bargains building, mooted since the arrival of the firm in 2020. Half the units in the shopping centre are currently vacant and the PA system is broken.




“At the minute, why would anyone want to have a shop here?” Said David Holt, Redevelopment Director for Adhan Group. “But, as soon as they see someone else is investing in the place, it should start moving pretty quickly.”

READ MORE: Work begins on multi-million pound Ellesmere Port Market revamp | Some traders have been temporarily relocated while several parking spaces outside the main entrance are out of use

READ: New Ellesmere Port market: Can the multi-million pound scheme help revitalise the town? Obvious comparisons are drawn with the new market in Chester – but does everyone agree it’s what the town needs?

David promises a “substantial investment” in the Port Arcades, saying “it will be in the millions” and completed by Christmas, though a definitive figure for the planned redevelopment has not been set. Outlining his plans to CheshireLive, he said: “Cosmetically it will have an overhaul, both internally and externally. We’ve going to have a new lighting scheme and quite a lot of modifications inside the mall itself.

“I’m looking to remove the troubled B&M Bargains building completely,” said David, saying he plans to turn the area into a communal space, with pop-up pubs and cafés on Marina Walk. He also plans for the area to be entirely pedestrianised.

David Holt, 44, Redevelopment Manager for Adhan Group, outside the Port Arcades, Ellesmere Port

David says he is in talks with the Canal and River Trust with regards to having a boat from the National Waterways Museum suspended from the roof of the Arcades, and that the building will be given a new colour scheme tying in with the Flea Market’s, based on Vauxhall’s 1970s palette. He adds that he wants to involve the Boat Museum with a themed café within the Arcades.

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