Cheshire East Council has endorsed a Covid-19 recovery plan for Macclesfield town centre.

The Macclesfield Town Centre Recovery Plan sets out objectives and actions to help the town centre to recover safely from the pandemic and realise its full potential.

It has been co-produced by a working group of representatives from Macclesfield Town Council, Cheshire East Council, Make it Macclesfield, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, Macclesfield Museums and Cheshire East community and voluntary services, in close consultation with local stakeholders, residents and businesses.

Cheshire East Council says it will now continue to work alongside its partners to put the plan into action.

This will include the creation of specific sub-groups designed to progress the next steps and lead the actions outlined in the plan, ensuring the momentum generated by the working group continues.

Cllr Nick Mannion, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment and regeneration, said: "The Macclesfield Town Centre Recovery Plan has brought this council and a number of key partners together and we are all committed to delivering on the plan's objectives.

"With the publication of the government's roadmap for easing Covid-19 restrictions we look forward to our town centres and high streets reopening.

"But as we do this, we must work with businesses to ensure this is done safely and call on local residents to do everything they can to support the safe reopening of local shops, hospitality outlets and other businesses, which need the support of their local communities to survive."

Working group members have already been supporting local residents and the local economy through various projects, schemes and activities.

For Cheshire East Council, this includes the distribution of business support grants, working with and guiding businesses to meet the Covid-19 safety requirements and marketing activity to promote shopping local safely.

It also includes the introduction of a new streamlined process to enable hospitality businesses to apply for pavement licences for alfresco seating and transforming an overgrown patch of land at the approach to the bus station to provide a new seating area and greenery.

In addition, the council is pushing ahead with plans to upgrade the public realm in Castle Street – which will include new street furniture, improved lighting and widening the pavements to create scope for alfresco seating – and developing concept designs for further potential public realm schemes on Chestergate and Market Place.

All of these initiatives support the Recovery Plan and the longer-term strategic regeneration framework for Macclesfield, which was approved in 2019.

The Macclesfield Town Centre Recovery Plan can be found on the Macclesfield Town Council website.