Warrington Borough Council is set to revamp the town’s centre after it announced a new £52 million proposal.

The new initiative will see a new retail centre emerge, complete with a family-friendly shopping area, featuring restaurants and other leisure experiences.

There will also be a contemporary market hall at the heart or the centre that will hopefully boost business in the area. It will be built on the same site that previously accommodated the Boots building on Bridge Street and will therefore preserve a street front entrance feature of the Grade II-listed brick facade.

Other key elements include a new multiplex cinema and a civic centre to build community ties.

The project, which is subject to a public consultation process and ratification by the council, will be constructed on a 3.4-hectare site, which extends from Bridge Street and across the existing Time Square development.

It will be completed by Warrington Borough Council in partnership with developer Muse and over the next five years up to 400 construction jobs will be created, while 400 new permanent roles will be supported in the leisure, retail and restaurant sectors when the scheme is completed in 2018.

A £400,000 programme of landscaping and environmental improvements to improve the appearance of Lower Bridge Street is already underway and will be completed prior to Christmas 2013.

Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “This is a tremendously exciting moment for our town and a huge step forward in its regeneration and renaissance. Getting to this stage has been difficult and has taken time because of all of the different land and business interests involved in the project.”

The first construction phases of the initiative will start on site in Autumn 2014, should it pass the consultation process and receive ratification. The authority said it is necessary to deliver the project in two construction phases in order to minimise disruption for the market traders on site.