In 2005 Chester unveiled two ambitious collaborative plans. Its Place Marketing Strategy set out the vision of Chester becoming a must-see European city by 2015 and its Culture Park set out the steps to achieve it through sensitive development that would make the most of the city’s assets. They were lauded nationally as forward-thinking best practice, yet by 2012 they had largely been forgotten, mentioned only in an appendix of the One City Plan they had helped inspire.
Fast forward to 2025, Chester has become the Most Welcoming City in the UK and ranks with Rome and other cities as the most beautiful. The Culture Park’s architect, Andy Farrall, is Chair of the Making Group of One City Plan 2.0, and its Programme Manager, Colin Potts, leads the OCP Visiting Group, chairs Destination Chester and heads the University of Chester’s tourism courses.
The lecture on March 19th, in a packed Grosvenor Museum Lecture Theatre, saw Colin reviewing the Place Marketing and Culture Park plans, and reflect on how much has been achieved over the last 20 years. It also considered the place Chester could become – 20 years on.
