Crewe is often associated with the image of being an old railway town. But, like similar places that are stuck with a stereotype, there is usually much more to tell. So, in this report we will look at regeneration, development and the wider property market in Crewe.

Despite the stereotype, Crewe does owe much to the railways. Railway engineering still goes on here with Alstom at the historic Crewe Works, although it is much smaller than in its heyday. Crewe is also home to Bentley motor manufacturing. Newer industries in Crewe are mainly in services and logistics.

Crewe benefits from a strategic location on the West Coast Main Line at the major Crewe Junction and has extensive passenger and freight rail connections. It also has good accessibility by road being around 5 miles from the M6.

Interestingly, the railway could help put Crewe very firmly back on the map in the next decade. Crewe will have a station on the forthcoming Stage 2a/2b of HS2 – one of the few on the new network that is not already in or near a large city. When this part of the HS2 line opens, currently likely to be in the 2030s, Crewe will be within 25 minutes of Birmingham and 56 minutes of London with up to seven trains per hour. This could also free up existing lines for increased freight and local passenger services into and around Crewe.

Back in 2017 Cheshire East Council, using a team led by Arup and CBRE, worked up a HS2 Masterplan, which envisaged that 120 ha of land in central Crewe could be redeveloped with a 350,000sqm commercial hub around the station and 7,000 new homes to create up to 40,000 jobs by 2043.