THE £1.6million transformation of Macclesfield’s Castle Street has trigged a wave of business investment in the town centre.
It has been revealed that new businesses have ploughed £7m into the recently improved town centre area.
That improvement work has included widening footways and resurfacing them with natural stone - creating scope for cafes and restaurants to have outdoor seating.
Granite cobblestone-style paving now sits in the road and new street furniture and improved lighting has been installed in the key town centre street.
Nick Mannion, who chairs Cheshire East Council's economy and growth committee, said: "This scheme has been much more than just the physical transformation of Castle Street, it has been about shifting the focus to the pedestrian and visitor experience rather than motorists.
"By doing that, we have created a space that encourages people to visit, increases footfall and is somewhere that businesses want to invest and locate to."
Fiona Wilson, Macclesfield Town Council's town centre and regeneration champion, added: "The improvements to Castle Street are vital for the revitalisation of our town centre and have already resulted in attracting new businesses.
"Independent retail, hospitality, entertainment and in-town living are all key components to help the town and the local economy."
Chris Oakes is director of Huntsmere, designer and developer of luxury property. The business is nearing completion of the transformation the former Tax Office on Castle Street into apartments.
He said: "The council's decision to invest in the public realm in Castle Street encouraged Huntsmere to commit to the purchase and transformation of Craven House, which had been vacant for around eight years.
"The quality of the public realm is not only much improved, but the widening of pavements will enable businesses to create outdoor seating areas - enlivening the street scene, boosting the viability of businesses, and making this a more desirable place to live."
Ed Kennedy, centre manager at The Grosvenor Centre, described the work as "transformational".
He added: "It has helped Eskmuir, owners of the Grosvenor Centre, in letting the vacant former Cheshire Building Society unit on the corner with Churchill Way and demonstrates how public investment, in the right location, can stimulate growth - helping to create jobs and sustain a vibrant town centre."
The commissioning of the Castle Street scheme followed Cheshire East Council's approval of the Macclesfield town centre strategic regeneration framework.
A unique feature of the work are bespoke kerbstones, which incorporate extracts from the poem 'A Love Letter To Macc', compiled by Jacqui Wood, artistic director of community arts organisation Arc.