This is Halton An essential guide to working & living in Halton www.halton.gov.uk www.halton.gov.uk 3 Contents A brief history of Halton 4 Connectivity in Halton 6 Mersey Gateway 8 Housing in Halton 10 Hello & welcome Education in Halton 12 Health in Halton 16 to Halton Lifestyle in Halton 18 Halton is a dynamic and achieving Borough Work in Halton 22 During the past few years thousands of new For those looking to boost career jobs have been created within the Borough of opportunities, Halton is situated within the Halton, with an expansion of our expanding economic triangle formed by Liverpool, Advanced manufacturing, Logistics and Manchester and Chester, and is now home Service Industries. It’s estimated that almost to an expanding number of small and £1bn has been invested in the area during medium sized businesses as well as globally the past five years alone. This unprecedented significant companies. period of transformation and economic growth looks set to continue, as construction International logistics operators love Halton of the Mersey Gateway Bridge further boosts because of its key location at the centre commercial confidence in our area. of road, rail, sea and air transport links. David Parr Likewise, the area is proving to be a haven for Chief Executive A choice of housing, fabulous parks and innovation and enterprise with world-class Halton Borough leisure facilities, along with inspiring places science companies and high-tech research Council to learn and a great range of retail options, and development facilities flourishing here. all combine to create a location which is a great place to live, learn and work. It’s a place The future is bright for Halton, as traditional where families and businesses can thrive and and modern come together, to create a achieve their full potential. fabulous location for residents, businesses and visitors alike. For those seeking to make Halton their home, we offer all the lifestyle facilities that you I would encourage you to read, learn more, would expect in an area that comprises the and visit us here to see for yourself what’s busy towns of Runcorn and Widnes plus the on offer. picturesque villages of Daresbury, Hale, Moore & Preston Brook. Halton also boasts acres of open space and further afield, offers easy access to rural tranquillity and attractive coastlines. We value our heritage, such as our Grade 1 listed Norman castle and Norton Priory, which sits alongside our newer developments, including Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, a snowsports centre, the Select Security Stadium, and the thriving Brindley Arts Centre and Theatre. 1 The Brindley Centre 4 This is Halton An essential guide to working & living in Halton www.halton.gov.uk 5 A brief history of Halton PRESTON Links between the two towns of Widnes and Runcorn Our Location: stretch back 900 years to the early 12th century when land on both sides of the river formed part of the Halton Area Halton Barony. M6 M61 Citizens from the Widnes area had to These constructions reinforced the links pay taxes at Halton Castle in Runcorn between the two towns which were and a ferry service soon linked the two increased even further when the Borough’s M58 settlements. current major landmark, the Silver Jubilee M58 Bridge, opened in 1961. The bridge is listed Around the mid-19th century, the British for its architectural importance and is chemical industry began in Widnes, utilising M60 reminiscent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! M6 MANCHESTER Lancashire coal and Cheshire salt. Factories M60 M57 developed on both sides of the river and M62 trade, labour and skills quickly became LIVERPOOL interlinked. As a result of this, in 1868 M62 M62 the London to Liverpool railway opened, M6 followed in 1905 by a transporter bridge to WIDNES WARRINGTON carry road traffic and pedestrians. M53 RUNCORN Manchester Liverpool M56 Airport Airport M56 M56 Located within M53 the M56 & M62 corridors, Halton is CHESTER ideally situated at the heart of the region’s motorway network formed by Liverpool, Manchester & Chester 6 This is Halton An essential guide to working & living in Halton www.halton.gov.uk 7 Trains from Runcorn & Widnes Approximate week From To Journey time day frequency Runcorn London Euston 1hr 58mins Every 30mins Runcorn Liverpool (Lime Street) 20mins Every 30mins Runcorn Birmingham 1hr 20mins Every 30mins Connectivity Widnes Liverpool ( Lime Street) 34mins Every 20mins Widnes Manchester Piccadilly 30/40mins Every 20mins in Halton By air From Manchester Airline Average Flight Time Carrier Frequency Amsterdam 1hr 20mins Easy Jet/Flybe 6 times daily Atlanta (USA) 9hr Delta Daily Berlin 1hr 50mins Ryan Air/Easy Jet 4 times daily Boston ( USA) 8hr American Daily Charlotte ( USA) 8hr Daily 9hrs 30mins Chicago American Daily (8hrs return) Frankfurt 1hr 40mins Lufthansa 4 times daily Hong Kong 13hrs Cathay Pacific 4 times a week We’re Well Connected. Lisbon 3hrs TAP Portugal 2 times daily Halton is located within the economic Halton is located between both Four railway stations, Runcorn Mainline, triangle formed by Liverpool, Manchester Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and Runcorn East, Widnes and Hough Green, New York 8hrs American Daily and Chester. Nowhere in Halton is more Manchester Airport. Liverpool airport provide fast and frequent rail services than 15 minutes’ drive from a motorway has been through a significant period from the Halton area to destinations Munich 2hrs Easy Jet/Lufthansa 4 times daily junction. of expansion. In 2015 the airport throughout the UK. Commuters can be handled around six times the number of in City Centre Liverpool in 20 minutes, San Francisco 11hr 20mins Delta Daily Many of these businesses have been passengers than it did 17 years earlier – a Manchester in 40 minutes and London in attracted to the area by the numerous growth rate that massively outstripped less than 2 hours. There are also regular Zurich 1hr 55mins Swiss Twice Daily advantages that set Halton apart as national growth. Manchester Airport, only connections to Birmingham, Chester, a business location, including a good 30 minutes’ drive from most parts of the Crewe, and north Wales. supply of suitable, value for money sites Borough, is the third biggest airport in the and premises, appropriate skills, and a UK and is the largest outside of London. 1 Runcorn Mainline Station pool of existing firms to act as suppliers 1 and subcontractors. The area also has Halton also offers direct access to transportation links that are second to The West Coast Mainline for both rail none. Approximately a third of the UK’s freight and passengers. Proximity to the residential population and around a half Liverpool and Birkenhead means that of all British manufacturing business is shipping to global destinations and ferries located within a two hour drive. to Ireland and the Isle of Man are easily accessible. 8 This is Halton An essential guide to working & living in Halton www.halton.gov.uk 9 Mersey Gateway 1 The Gateway is more than just a new bridge A landmark design 2 3 across the Mersey. The Mersey Gateway is becoming a landmark structure that is recognisable Mersey Gateway is a major scheme to The miles of new road network associated throughout the North West and beyond. build a new six lane bridge across the with the Gateway has upgraded access The bridge design is based on a cable-stay Mersey. Opened in Autumn 2017, this and prominence of various underutilised structure similar to the second Severn landmark structure, identified as one of sites located in ten separate ‘impact Crossing but with three towers. It is 2.3 km the UK’s most important infrastructure areas’. These sites are in various locations long with a river span of 1km. projects, it has brought about much on both sides of the bridge. These will Three piers cross the naturally occurring needed traffic relief for the existing Silver be places where the new crossing and deeper water channels of the river at either Jubilee Bridge. It also provides a major wider project help unlock land for new bank. These are supported by cable stays strategic new transport route linking the development and reposition the area for attached to towers that rise to between 80 Liverpool City Region, north Cheshire and growth. In total, around 230 hectares of and 125m above the river bed. the North West to the rest of the country. new and existing employment land could be released over the next decade. Although the benefits that the Gateway Crossing brings to the wider regional road This amount of land is of regional, not 1 CGI of Mersey Gateway Bridge network are significant, it is also important just local significance. For those not 2 Mersey Gateway Construction to recognise that the Gateway is more technically minded it’s an area of land 3 Inside the South Cofferdam than just a new bridge across the Mersey. equivalent to around 200 football fields. It gives further impetus to our ambition to Once fully developed these sites have the move our economy forward. potential to accommodate up to 20,000 new jobs over the next fifteen years. From experience, we know that development on this scale doesn’t happen on its own. It will need encouragement and impetus from local and regional agencies to make it happen, working together in partnership to promote sites and realise the potential that will create new opportunities. For more information about the project visit www.merseygateway.co.uk or follow on Twitter @merseygateway 10 This is Halton An essential guide to working & living in Halton www.halton.gov.uk 11 1 Housing in Halton 1 Sandy Moore, Runcorn Halton and its surrounding area has a varied and 2 2 St Aidan’s Place, Widnes growing residential property offer, ranging from town centre apartments, terraced homes in established, friendly, areas to urban villages and new build properties in planned communities.