Chester News
The latest Chester news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Cheshire West Stray Dogs: 115 Found in 2025, 39 Went Home
The council's stray dog service has won an RSPCA Platinum Award for a 15th year running. Only 41 of the 115 dogs it picked up in 2025 had a microchip.
More stories
Tarporley
Peckforton's 8-Ton Sandstone Elephant Saved From Its Lean
Peckforton's Grade II-listed Elephant and Castle monument is level again on a new plinth, paid for by resident Alison Barlow. A plaque is unveiled on Sunday.
Ellesmere Port
240 Great Sutton Homes Back Before Planners on 6 Oct
Officers again recommend 240 homes off Dunkirk Way for approval after September's deferral. Also on 6 October: 86 homes at Kelsall and a Northwich biogas expansion.
Transport
Cheshire West £1 Bus Fares for 16 to 19s Start 5 October
Anyone aged 16 to 19 in Cheshire West can ride local buses for £1 a journey from 5 October. The free pass takes up to 21 days to arrive, so apply now.
Chester
Chester Northgate Phase 2: 400 Homes Plan on Show 20 Oct
Revised plans for 400+ homes on the old Forum site go on show from 20 October, with a free film night at the Picturehouse. Dates, times and how to book.
Backford
A41 Backford Crash: Pillion Passenger, 22, Dies
Cody Dobbs, 22, died after the A41 motorbike crash at Backford on 19 September. The rider is no longer under arrest; police still want dashcam footage.
House Prices
Chester House Prices Hit Another Record: £270,104
Cheshire West homes averaged £270,104 in July, a new high and up £14,778 in a year. The pace eased from 6.6% to 5.8%, still five times England's rate.
Council
Council This Week: £3.3m Blacon Diagnostic Centre
Councillors examine a £3.3m NHS plan for a diagnostic centre on Blacon Parade on 1 October. It would add 6,894 tests a year. What is on and how to speak.
Northwich
Northwich Market Opens at Barons Quay, All 19 Stalls Let
The new £1.8m Northwich Market opened on 18 September with every stall taken. Here is the full trader line-up, the opening hours and how to get there.
Moulton
Moulton Pub, Club and Church Up for Community Asset Listing
Four Moulton buildings went before Cheshire West on 17 September as assets of community value. The council has until 12 November to decide each one.
Elton
Encirc Elton: £98m Warehouse 44m Tall, 16 New Jobs
Encirc wants a 44 metre automated warehouse at Elton, near Ellesmere Port. It puts the build at £98m and the permanent jobs at 16. Comments close 8 October.
Jobs
Chester Area Claimant Count Hits 6,020, Two-Year High
6,020 people in Cheshire West and Chester claimed unemployment benefits in August, up 275 in a month. It is the highest count since September 2024.
Chester
Thirlwall Report: 17 Recommendations, Police Case Still Live
Lady Justice Thirlwall's report makes 17 recommendations, most due by 31 March 2027. Three former Countess leaders are still on police bail.
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port: Three Shops Shut Over Illegal Tobacco
Stop and Shop, Vaporesso and Quick Stop must close for three months. That is nine premises the council has shut since November, two of them twice.
Frodsham
Frodsham Town Council: 16 Seats Cut to 12, Wards Scrapped
The final plan scraps all four Frodsham wards, which officers did not recommend in July. Comments close on 1 October, then the committee decides.
Cheshire West
Cheshire West Pothole Claims: 741 in a Year, 55% Rejected
Damage claims against Cheshire West's roads peaked at 1,367 in one year and the council's own auditors gave its handling of them limited assurance.
Chester
Chester City Walls Have Never Had a Structural Inspection
An internal audit found the walls' 113 structures have never had a principal inspection, and that only 11% of the borough's 368 bridges ever have.
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire West Alley Gates: 14 Orders Expire in October
The council's 14 alley gating orders lapse in October. Ten cover streets in Ellesmere Port, three in Chester and one in Winsford. Comment closes 30 September.
Chester
Countess of Chester Cancer Waiting Times: 86% in 28 Days
The Countess diagnosed or ruled out cancer within 28 days for 86% of patients in June, against 79% across England. It fell two patients short on 31 days.
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port Sewage Works: £140m Plan, 50 More Lorries
Daily lorry trips at Ellesmere Port sewage works would rise from 22 to 72 under United Utilities' £140m digester plan. Four 29.4m tanks, all in Green Belt.
Winsford
Winsford Market Door: Officers Reject 1,316-Name Petition
Officers want Winsford Market's side door kept shut on safety grounds, despite a 1,316-name petition. Councillors take it up at 6pm on Monday 7 September.
Northwich
Northwich Market Shuts 29 Aug, New One Opens 18 Sept
Trading at Weaver Square ends on Saturday 29 August. The new £1.8m market at Barons Quay opens on Friday 18 September, leaving 19 days with no market.
Environment
Chester Zoo Calls Peak Cluster CO2 Pipeline Unacceptable
Chester Zoo says the Peak Cluster pipeline's regional impact is unacceptable and risks irreplaceable wetland. Its Cheshire leg runs Picton to Backford Cross.
Education
Chester GCSE Results 2026: What Six Schools Published
Six Chester area schools published 2026 GCSE figures. All of them here, with the national benchmark that makes them readable, and a borough number falling.
House Prices
Chester Area House Prices Hit a Record £269,039
Cheshire West homes rose £17,435 in a year to an all-time high in June, the 32nd fastest rise in England. Over the border in Flintshire, prices moved 1 per cent.
Planning
Chester Business Park: Wellness Centre and Pool Approved
Cheshire West approved a private wellness centre with a hydrotherapy pool and gym at 1 Lakeside on 13 August, beside an approved mental health hospital.
Planning
Chester Business Park Article 4: Office-to-Flats Route Cut
The council made Article 4 Directions for Chester Business Park, Gadbrook Park and Sealand. Comments close 5pm on 18 September; in force 10 August 2027.
Education
Chester A-Level Results 2026: 98% Pass, School by School
Cheshire West's 2,300 A-level students recorded a 98 per cent pass rate. Here is what each Chester, Ellesmere Port and Northwich school published itself.
Energy
Cheshire West Solar Scheme: Register Free by 25 September
Cheshire West's group-buying solar and battery scheme is open until 25 September. Registration is free, and last year 121 of 193 quoted households went ahead.
Jobs
Chester area claimant count hits 5,920, up 245 in a year
5,920 people in Cheshire West and Chester claimed unemployment benefits in June, 2.6% of working-age residents, below the North West's 4.2% and the UK's 3.9%.
Business
Frodsham Tandoori owner calls liquidation vote for 19 August
The company behind Frodsham Tandoori meets creditors on 19 August to vote on winding up. The food register already lists a new Thai name at 25 High Street.