A ONCE bustling street of independent retailers has slowly evolved into a hotspot for the night-time economy in recent years. As St Helens prepares for a "once in a generation" transformation, what does the future hold for Westfield Street?
In decades gone by, Westfield Street was well-known for its vibrant mix of retailers and independent traders, but like other areas of the town centre it has struggled with footfall in recent years, as it has half-shifted towards the night-time economy.
An ever-present part of Westfield Street since 1921, Burchall's pie shop has witnessed the changing dynamics of the town centre and owner John Burchall has fond memories of the former vibrancy of the street.
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John, who took over Burchall's pie shop from his dad in 1995, said: "There used to be all kinds of traditional and independent shops along Westfield Street; jewellers, cafes, a post office, pubs.
"Over the years, a lot of these have left and have been replaced by businesses more geared towards the night-time economy; there is a lot less foot traffic in the day now."
Shift towards the night-time economy
The shift towards the night-time economy is acknowledged by some of the other remaining 'daytime' traders on Westfield Street, who feel that while any town centre needs an area to have a drink and night out, the street has become a kind of discordant strip that is neither one thing nor the other.
And although St Helens has not been immune to shifting high street trends over recent years, with many big-name brands moving to city centres and retail parks, there is a feeling that Westfield Street, on the edge of town, has been hit particularly hard by declining footfall figures.
John, 72, added: "I'm all for having a night-time economy, that's fine. I understand the reasoning for having it in one place too, it's much easier to police.
"But it's driving a lot of us [daytime traders] out. Most of the street is pubs, clubs, and takeaways, so most people don't come this way until later on."
A few doors down, Greg Duggins at Kaleidoscope Records has similar feelings to John as the clubs opposite his business often open at the same time he is closing for the day.
Greg, 67, said: "It is quite tough for some of the daytime traders because it feels like Westfield Street is just turning into a place for a night out.
"It does feel like we are a little bit left out of the town centre at times [...] but things have been relatively busy recently."
Although a resurgence in vinyl records has been a big boost for Kaleidoscope's sales, Greg admitted that footfall is incomparable to when he first opened on Westfield Street around 40 years ago.
Following the twin difficulties of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, the trader suggested that he wouldn't have survived if he hadn't bought the building more than 20 years ago.
Regular customers a boost during difficult times
A figure of Westfield Street since 2019, Momo's cafe has not witnessed the same changing trends as Burchalls and Kaleidoscope over the decades, but has become a much-loved business due to its community-focused activities.
Co-owner Colin Clemmitt said: "Since we've been here, Westfield Street has always been a place where people come for a drink so we're used to it not being so busy in the day.
"We only opened a year before the pandemic, so after going through that and now the cost of living crisis, it has been hard to keep adapting to things.
"But we're very lucky that we have a core base of regulars who come in for our events; I think we would find it very difficult if we didn't have this."
Music Festival an example of how Westfield Street can thrive
While there may be a clash of traders on Westfield Street, the road's annual music festival is given as an example of how the street can be utilised as a vibrant mixture of entertainment, leisure and retail.
With hopes to bring the street festival back this summer after a four-year hiatus, the celebration shows off the best of St Helens, brings more eyes to the street's traders, and shows the benefits of a pedestrianised street for connectivity.
These are the thoughts of TANK owner Paul Whittaker, whose small bar has felt the impact of declining footfall on Westfield Street.
Paul said: "Westfield Street Music Festival really reflects well on the town as a whole.
"As the street is partly pedestrianised, thousands of people flow through and follow the parade of entertainment, and it allows them to sample live music, entertainment and drinks on Westfield Street.
"Similar to Bold Street in Liverpool, a fully pedestrianised street could be used as a potential selling point to anyone wanting to set up a business on the street, such as a bar or restaurant [...] as we currently have a serious lack of restaurants on the street."
Imperial Food and Drink Quarter, which opened on Brook Street in October, was given as an example of the type of business that should be encouraged to open up on Westfield Street, while free parking was also suggested as an easy way to boost footfall to this area of town.
![St Helens Star: Paul Whittaker, owner of TANK bar on Westfield Street]( "St Helens Star: Paul Whittaker, owner of TANK bar on Westfield Street")
Paul Whittaker, owner of TANK bar on Westfield Street (Image: Paul Whittaker)
Business' plea to not be left behind in St Helens' regeneration
With parts of Westfield Street and the wider town centre in a dilapidated state, each trader agreed that regeneration is an urgent necessity in order to improve the look and feel of the town.
However, already concerned that they are a little left out of the town centre, there was further consensus that investment needs to flow towards Westfield Street to ensure they are not left further behind and the vibrancy of the past can return once again.
Aiming to transform the town and drive footfall into the town centre, St Helens Council plans to build new homes, offices, a hotel, a market hall, and an improved bus station in the first phase of regeneration.
Westfield Street and the areas surrounding St Helens College are included in the 'Education and Entertainment' phase of regeneration, which will focus on "enhancements to the public realm and pedestrian connectivity".
Intending to retain the area as a "mixed-use, retail, and leisure development", this will see upgrades to the general aesthetic and buildings on Westfield Street, as well as improved connectivity between the street, St Helens Linkway and different areas in the town centre.
This investment will help to "stimulate the regeneration of businesses within this area", the council say.
Statement from St Helens Council
Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, said: “Town centres across the country are facing huge challenges because of the ongoing changes to how we shop, and they can’t survive on their retail offer alone.
"We are not promoting a single use over any other use. We want a diverse town centre with as many different reasons as possible for people to visit.
"We are looking to create that diversity by bringing new investment in the widest possible town centre offer – including events, business, heritage, education, tourism, a sustainable retail base and a strong night-time economy.
“Our Masterplan focuses on transforming the whole of the town centre, including Westfield Street. Our funding interventions will bring specific investment via a phased approach, but we expect the benefits to be felt well beyond the boundaries of development.
“The proposals in the Masterplan Development Framework were the subject of public consultation which ran from 1 November 2021 until 13 December 2021, for a total of six weeks, with the feedback being overwhelmingly supportive of the proposals and providing some helpful guidance as to what business and the community wish to see.
“Recently we wrote to Westfield Street businesses ahead of urgent highway repairs and as part of the wider town centre regeneration proposals, we maintain an ambition to bring forward more substantive, quality public realm improvements along Westfield Street, on which we will engage with those businesses.
“Our ongoing work together with businesses and organisations to strengthen the town centre offer was recently recognised nationally, when St Helens Town Centre was awarded Purple Flag status for its vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture, and work to promote the safety and wellbeing of visitors and residents.”
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