The Chester Civic Trust has presented its Judges special award 2025 to Okells Hoole for their work restoring and bringing to life the former Co-op building in Walker Street.
The awards which this year celebrate the Chester Civic Trust’s 65th year, recognise the best changes to the Chester property and civic scene and encourage higher standards of design and maintenance in Chester’s public realm.
The Co-op in Walker Street opened in 1906 and included a grocer and butcher together with a shoe and clothing store on the upper floor.
Later on it became a convenience store and also accommodated Co-op Funeralcare. The store closed in July 2017 ending 110 years of the Co-op on this site. The empty building started to become dilapidated and run down.
The judges said: “It is great to see that Okells has refurbished the building to provide a new shop selling plants, homeware and gifts together with a café. This is a really good addition to the vibrant Hoole local shopping quarter.”
George Okell, Okells Director added: “We’re really pleased to have received the Civic Trust award and we’re grateful to everyone who put their hard work into this renovation.
“With the building always having been there to serve the community around it, we wanted to do just that, bringing it back into use by offering our mix of home, garden and gift products along with fresh food and drink in a neighbourhood cafe.
“Having worked on the space over nearly two years, it’s amazing to see it being used and we look forward to seeing it evolve.”
Okells has been trading since 1982 in Tarvin and is a family-run independent garden centre. It’s second site, Okells Hoole, opened in August 2024.
The Civic Trust is a registered charity set up to promote high standards of architecture in Chester, as well as helping to secure the preservation and protection of features of historic or public interest in the City of Chester.
It’s annual Good, Bad and Ugly Awards are based on nominations members and aim to recognise the best changes to the Chester property and civic scene in the past year, encouraging higher standards of design and maintenance in Chester’s public realm.
Over the last 65 years, the Trust has continued to be an influential voice in Chester with over 300 individual members and 21 corporate sponsors lobbying for high standards of design in new developments, the protection of both the natural and built environment and the preservation and sympathetic re-use of historic buildings.
