Proposal For Major Regeneration Of St Helens Town Centre
The proposed redevelopment of St Helens town centre in Merseyside has reached the next stage with the submission of a reserved matters planning application. Insider Media reports that phase one of the redevelopment will see an aged shopping centre replaced with new buildings and aesthetically pleasing public areas.
There will be a new Market Hall and mixed use area, plus a 120-bedroom hotel, 64 new homes, and a substantial amount of new office space and retail space, alongside landscaped public areas.
A separate planning application will be submitted shortly that will address the replacement of the outdated bus station with a modern multi-modal transport exchange. The project will be designed to be sustainable and help contribute to net zero targets by encouraging alternative modes of transport.
In line with many other towns in the UK, the project has received both local and central government funding, some of which is in the form of Town Deal grants totalling £10.49m. This is part of the government’s wider levelling up strategy for the UK, which aims to close the economic and cultural gap between the north and south.
The government strategy is focused on developing derelict or underutilised brownfield land within English town and city centres. The rise of e-commerce that has accelerated by the pandemic lockdowns has led to many traditional brick and mortar stores in town centres becoming redundant.
The new developments will focus on creating mixed-use land that will provide high quality homes, leisure facilities, transport hubs, and health and education facilities. St Helens Council intends the redevelopment to drive social value through the creation of premium sustainable facilities that will support economic growth and employment.
Cllr David Baines, leader of St Helens Borough Council and Liverpool City Region portfolio Holder for net zero and air quality, said: “We are ambitious for what can be achieved through this once in a lifetime regeneration scheme, and we should all be excited about what the future holds.”
“A huge amount of work has already gone into bringing our vision for a re-vitalised St Helens town centre to the stage of a reserved matters planning application, including the relocation of many shops out of the Hardshaw centre and into Church Square Shopping Centre, and months of extensive consultation with the public, businesses and other stakeholders.”
He added: “We are determined to preserve and celebrate our local heritage in the detail and delivery of the project, but we are also looking to the future, with an attractive, thriving and sustainable town centre for families to enjoy.”
When the plans gain approval as expected, work is expected to commence in early 2024, with a completion date for phase one scheduled for 2024.
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