Ambitious regeneration plans for River Mersey being revitalised; IN ASSOCIATION WITH Rensburg Sheppards.

HUGE regeneration plans on the banks of the River Mersey are to be revitalised.

Widnes Waterfront has appointed new architects to update the master plan and delivery strategy for a 200 acre site designed to house 2,700 jobs.

The area has already seen 285,000 sq ft of office and industrial space developed.

Taylor Young, a Liverpool and Manchester based practice, will take forward plans up to 2013.

Jim Fox, director at Taylor Young, said: "Even in midst of the credit crunch, Widnes Waterfront has the potential in the medium to long term to be transformed as an exciting riverside employment and leisure led mixed use area, building on successes already achieved and the huge potential offered by proposals for the Mersey Gateway crossing immediately to the west."

Councillor Rob Polhill deputy leader at Halton Borough Council, said "The scheme has moved on considerably since the first Masterplan was developed in 2004. We have now completed several schemes with many more in the pipeline so now is a good time for us to look at what we have already achieved and decide how best to go forward into the future."

The Widnes Waterfront Economic Development Zone is one of only 14 designated zones in NorthWest England. Over a six-year period it will utilise pounds 8m of European Regional Development Funding together with pounds 7.5m of funding from the NorthWest Development Agency and approximately pounds 1.5m of Halton Borough Council funds as the lever to facilitate the wholesale regeneration of a derelict, former industrial area in Southern Widnes.

It is anticipated that, in excess of, pounds 70m of investment will be brought into the area which will transform the area into a commercial and tourism development site of regional significance in a riverside setting.

Already confirmed is a pounds 10m ice rink, a 24 lane bowling alley, five screen cinema and retail outlets. The development is a joint venture between Halton Council and St.

Modwen.