Culcheth CPS Centre, once a busy little hub above Sainsbury’s, is closing its doors for the final time on Friday, March 28. From the sound of it, the place has gone from community cornerstone to tumbleweed showroom, and 25 small businesses have been left trying to find somewhere new to trade.
As previously reported by Grace Williams, first-floor tenants were handed formal notices on Thursday, January 30, terminating their licences at the premises. They were later given a one-month extension, but that extension has now run out. Not exactly a masterclass in calm, considerate village planning.
The centre’s owners, Shivat Haminim Capital Ltd, acquired CPS Centre in 2021. They have cited fire safety concerns, with the eviction letter saying a report had found that critical works to improve fire safety must be undertaken within weeks to eliminate life-threatening hazards. Fire safety is absolutely not something to shrug at, but it has also been reported that the fire service believes the work can be done without evictions, which rather changes the flavour of the whole thing.
Sundial Terrace Coffee Shop owner Aysha Khan, who has been part of the centre for 27 years, said the past few months have been “very up and down”. She said Shivat Haminim Capital Ltd had come in trying to speak to people, but by then there was barely anyone left. She and her family are in talks to sign a lease somewhere new in the village, potentially by May 1, but nothing is certain until the ink is dry.
Aysha said the stress has caused “so many problems”, which is the sort of understatement only a long-serving local business owner could deliver without throwing a stapler. Still, she also said there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that customers have been incredibly supportive. Sundial Terrace has been decorated with cards and flowers, with loyal customers bringing farewell gifts and messages of “we’ll miss you”. Her words summed it up neatly: “The whole village is behind us.”
Several businesses have managed to relocate, which is good news, though it should not be mistaken for everything being fine. A number have found space at the Partridge Lakes unit on Glaziers Lane, around a five-minute drive from CPS. That includes Amy from AJewelleryX, Chloe from Tulle & Twine, Thomas from Heart and Soul, Kip McGrath Tutoring, and Sharon and Gemma from Culcheth Ironing Service.
The ground floor of the Glaziers Lane building was empty, so at least there was room to take some of them in. Sharon and Gemma, who have been at the centre for decades, were among the few still open just before closing day. Sharon said everyone had been helping each other, while Gemma described the traders as “like a family”. That is the bit Culcheth does well, even when the grown-ups with the paperwork make a meal of things.
Paula Gradwell, owner of Mizi Boutique, had been in the CPS Centre for nine years but is now set up across the road on Church Lane. Maureen’s Alterations, after an impressive 40 years in the centre, has joined Paula in the new space. Forty years, by the way, is not just a tenancy, it is practically a village institution.
John from JCal Gold and Silver Recycling has moved to a stall at Birchwood Shopping Centre on Dewhurst Road. Sue Thomason Podiatry has relocated to Natalia's Skin Clinic on Common Lane, just a two-minute walk from the CPS Centre. Forget-Me-Not Toy and Book shop, owned by Victoria Simpson-Forest, who had been in the centre for 17 years, has also moved to Common Lane.
Hairdresser Lisa from Ian Black Hair Stylist & Barber is now at Culcheth Hair Company, while Philip has gone to Mopheads Culcheth salon. Both are staying close to the old location, which is a relief for anyone who has a trusted hairdresser and the understandable panic that comes with losing one.
Sadly, CountryWorld Health Shop, run by Andrew for 33 years, will not be reopening elsewhere, according to other shop owners. That one stings. When a shop has served a village for more than three decades and disappears like this, it is not just a business loss, it is a chunk of local memory being boxed up.
The whole issue has been rumbling on for months and was even raised in Parliament by Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols. That alone tells you this was never just a minor landlord-tenant wobble. This has been a full village headache, complete with uncertainty, stress, and far too many people having to rebuild their working lives at short notice.
The original report also carried a note about an exclusive subscriber partnership involving USA Today and The Herald, which is an oddly transatlantic garnish for a very Culcheth problem. Whatever the publishing furniture around it, the heart of the story is simple: a much-loved local centre is closing, traders have been uprooted, and the community has done what Culcheth usually does best, rallied round.
There are positives here. Businesses are finding new homes, customers are showing loyalty, and local traders are supporting one another with genuine warmth. But let’s not sugar-coat it with a artisan drizzle. The way this has landed has caused real distress, and for a village centre already battling the usual pressures on small independents, this is a bruising moment.