ONE WARRINGTON: ONE FUTURE
WHERE EVERYONE MATTERS
A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY
FOR WARRINGTON 2009 TO 2030An overview of Warrington
The borough of Warrington covers 182 square kilometres and lies at the centre of the North West region’s communications network. The M6, M56 and M62 motorways intersect within the borough, connecting us to all parts of the region and beyond. The borough also lies on the main northsouth (West Coast Main Line) and east-west (Trans-Pennine) rail routes. Manchester International and Liverpool John Lennon Airports both lie within easy reach. Two significant waterways flow through the main urban area; the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. The town’s role as a crossing point of both river and canal is an essential part of its character.
Warrington is a borough of dramatic contrasts, encompassing rural, idyllic villages with industrial heritage and landscapes. The town of Warrington in the centre of the borough is the largest and most densely populated, with outlying villages such as Lymm, Culcheth and Burtonwood having their own range of shops and services.
With almost 800 hectares of publicly owned parkland and open space, from Victorian gardens to local nature reserves, all within easy reach of the town centre, the countryside is readily accessible to residents. The museum and art gallery, arts and entertainment centre, leisure and fitness centres, golf courses and waterways offer a range of cultural and leisure pursuits for all ages and abilities.
Warrington has a strong and diverse industrial heritage, though most of the old industrial sites have been replaced in the last 25 years. The benefit of New Town status has helped the town to reinvent itself as one of the principal economic successes of the North West region, attracting clusters of companies in the biotechnology, information technology, advanced engineering, manufacturing and creative industries. Organisations based here include leading international firms such as Hewlett Packard, Vodafone, Fujitsu and Asics as well as public sector organisations such as the Homes and Communities Agency and the North West Development Agency.
With the go-ahead having been given for the first two phases of the new 226 hectare Omega site, a former airfield adjacent to the M62 motorway, Warrington will have the biggest business investment site in western Europe and be a major focus for regional commercial development and employment, eventually creating 24,000 new jobs.
Warrington currently has a population of 195,200 who live in 85,000 households. The population has risen rapidly over the last 30 years with the development of the New Town. Current population forecasts suggests the population will grow by 3% by 2026.
The age and gender profile of the borough is similar to that of the UK as a whole and, in line with national trends, the proportion of older people is forecast to increase significantly. By 2026, 43% of the population in the borough will be over 50. During the same period the number of children and young people in the borough is forecast to fall by 8%.
3.4% of the resident population are from nonwhite or minority ethnic groups1. A further 2.2% belong to white, non-British ethnic groups. Between 1st May 2004 and 31st March 2008 there were 1,895 migrant workers registering for work with the Home Office and employed within Warrington borough, which represents a less dramatic increase than is the case for other neighbouring authorities. In the 2001 Census 1.2% of the resident population stated they belonged to non-Christian groups.
Warrington is one of the fastest growing and most prosperous boroughs in the country. The employment rate is higher than the national average with the unemployment benefit claimant rate similar to national averages at 3.0%.
However the borough is also a very unequal one. The key negative defining feature of Warrington in 2008 is the marked difference in prosperity and quality of life within the borough. The stark contrasts between the hard-pressed inner wards and the leafier suburbs and villages on the outskirts of the town are striking. Eighteen specific neighbourhoods (called Super Output Areas – SOAs), mostly concentrated around the town centre and housing around 28,400 residents, are amongst the 20% most deprived areas in the country, measured by a national index of multiple deprivation. Of these areas, 11 rank within the 10% most deprived nationally, with two areas, one within Bewsey and one within Orford amongst the 3% most deprived.
At the other end of the scale, 40 SOAs are ranked amongst the 20% most affluent nationally. These affluent areas make up most of South Warrington, and together with areas in Westbrook, Sankey, Croft and Rixton represent around one third of Warrington’s population (64,210 people). The map below illustrates the distribution of overall deprivation within Warrington.
