Works at Banbury's Castle Quay Waterfront reach major construction milestone

Pictured from left: Gary Cramp, McLaren’s Regional Managing Director for Midlands & North, Cllr Tony Ilott, lead member for finance at Cherwell District Council, Steve Jorden, corporate director, commercial development, assets and investment at Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council

Cherwell District Council and contractor McLaren have marked the latest milestone in the development of Castle Quay Waterfront with the hotel reaching the tallest point of construction.

Key figures from Cherwell District Council and McLaren celebrated this construction achievement at the top of the building that is set to become a Premier Inn hotel. The framework for the car park, Lidl supermarket and hotel are also now in place.

Cllr Tony Ilott, lead member for finance at Cherwell District Council, said: “Over the past few months, the residents of Banbury will have noticed a number of significant changes to Castle Quay Waterfront and this latest landmark brings us another step closer to making ambitious plans for the town centre a reality.

Castle Quay 2 Waterfront works - photo by Richard Savory as seen on Banburyshire Info

"This development will deliver something new to the town and bring a range of exciting new offerings for the local community and visitors. We are delighted to have reached this construction milestone and look forward to seeing ongoing progress as we move closer towards the completion of this transformational project”.

The construction programme is continually reviewed in light of Covid-19 and in line with government guidance.

It is anticipated that the supermarket and hotel elements of the development will open in spring or summer of 2021, while the cinema and restaurant units are expected to open in early 2022.

The new development will transform this area into a new canal-side retail and leisure destination, complete with The Light© Cinema, Lidl supermarket, Premier Inn hotel and restaurants.

Castle Quay 2 Waterfront - photo by Richard Savory as seen on Banburyshire Info

The new line-up will complement the existing line-up at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, helping to attract a greater number of visitors from across the region while providing a boost to Banbury’s evening economy.

Gary Cramp, McLaren’s regional managing director for Midlands and North, said: “This construction milestone demonstrates that the redevelopment of Banbury town centre has real momentum, and that change to the waterfront is coming.

"These past few months have been challenging, with our team working hard to ensure that colleagues and the public are kept safe, whilst continuing to deliver the vision set out by Cherwell District Council.

“We’ve had real support and engagement with the local community during the construction works, and look forward to delivering this project for the community over the coming months”.

Gary Cramp, McLaren’s Regional Managing Director for Midlands & North, Cllr Tony Ilott, lead member for finance at Cherwell District Council, Steve Jorden, corporate director, commercial development, assets and investment at Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council

Progress on Castle Quay Waterfront is just one of a number of exciting new developments for the town.

Lock29, the home of Happerley England’s national centre of food and drink provenance located within the shopping centre, will be opening later this month. The venue will offer food and drink lovers the chance to enjoy produce from some of England’s finest producers, bringing together an exciting roster of food and drink artisans.