Objections withdrawn to Swan pub demolition amid regeneration plans

As previously reported by the Star, a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was approved on the Swan pub in December in order to support St Helens Council's town centre regeneration plans.

With the order proposing to bulldoze a century-old pub and leave landlady Angela Hindley and her family without a home, it proved to be a controversial decision with a petition to 'Save the Swan' reaching almost 2,000 signatures.

Following objections to the proposals, a public inquiry was held at St Helens Town Hall today (Tuesday, August 8), where the council explained why it believes the acquisition of the Corporation Street pub is a necessary part of regeneration plans, and why objections to the plans were removed.

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Regeneration 'almost impossible' without improved bus station

A new and improved bus station is said to be a necessary part of the council's regeneration plans (Image: St Helens Star)

Planning lawyer Giles Cannock told the public inquiry that the need to regenerate the town centre has "long been supported", and made all the more pressing as St Helens currently sits as the 26th most deprived area in England.

Acknowledging that previous regeneration plans have failed to deliver, it was explained how the current proposals aim to bring new homes, offices, a market hall and a hotel into the town centre.

Sean Traynor, Director of Strategic Growth at St Helens Council, suggested that it would be "extremely challenging if not impossible" to achieve the council's first phase of regeneration without a new and improved bus station.

Mr Traynor explained that the bus station and wider regeneration plans have been "cohesively designed as one development"; aiming to transport visitors into a "high quality town centre" with greater ease.

New station necessary to address 'safety and operational issues'

Congestion is often frequent at the current station - which contains 'operational inefficiencies and safety issues' (Image: Google Maps)

With the Swan pub and former Town Fryer chippy retained following the development of St Helens bus station in the 1990s, Andrew Cairns, Infrastructure Manager at Merseytravel, said that this has created a "constrained and challenging" station that is in urgent need of enhancement.

As the bus station was built in separate parts to accommodate the Corporation Street and Hall Street buildings, Mr Cairns said this has often been a challenge for pedestrians to navigate the area safely.

With buses often lining up along Corporation Street and other central areas, the transport expert explained that there are numerous "operational inefficiencies and safety issues" at the current site.

Mr Cairns also suggested that the current station would not be able to accommodate carbon net zero goals or the growth that additional homes and offices would bring in regeneration plans.

It was explained that six locations and 20 different options were looked into for a new bus station, including some which retained the Swan pub, but none of these met the requirements necessary to undo the inefficiencies of the current station and significantly improve the public realm.

CPO objections withdrawn

Landlady Angela Hindley withdrew her objection after an agreement was reached with the council (Image: St Helens Star)

Although the plans to take control of the Corporation Street pub proved immensely controversial when first announced, only ten objections were submitted to the public inquiry.

Following further explanation of the plans, Merseytravel removed their objection to the plans and the Swan's landlady and her family also removed their objections after coming to an agreement with the council.

The only "qualified objector" that remained was Punch Partnerships, the brewery which owns the Swan pub, although no representatives were present at the public inquiry.

In the inquiry, the brewery relied on written statements that "no meaningful contact" had taken place with the council in regard to the CPO.

Appointing building surveyors Savills to act on their behalf, Punch said that the council "failed to disclose [relevant] information" and made an offer of purchase and compensation "without methodology or calculation".

Brewery 'frustrated' CPO negotiations

Negotiations have been frustrated between Punch Partnerships and St Helens Council (Image: St Helens Star)

Working on behalf of the council, Ged Massey, consultant at Keppie Massie surveyors, strongly refuted these comments and explained that he first made contact with Punch Partnerships in August 2022.

After no response was made until October, Mr Massey said that Punch would not enter negotiations until a formal CPO was made.

Despite the order being made in December, it was explained that it took another month until the brewery introduced Mr Massey to Savills, and that the surveyors were "not forthcoming" on handing over any information related to the acquisition of the Swan.

This is why, Mr Massey explained, that a "speculative estimate" of the Swan's acquisition was made in April 2023, based on the "very limited information" that he had been given.

Following this evidence, it was suggested that Punch and Savills' assessment of the situation bears "little relation to the truth" and that they frustrated the entire negotiation process.  

'No alternative' to include Swan CPO in regeneration plans

The council say that the CPO is necessary to build a new and improved bus station (Image: St Helens Council)

After the information given at the inquiry, Mr Cannock expressed the view that the CPO on the Swan pub should be granted permission because it "strongly supports the strategic objectives" of the council's wider regeneration plans.

With other locations and options already looked into for a new bus station, Mr Cannock said that there is "no alternative" other than to include the CPO in the town centre regeneration plans - and as Punch Partnerships were not present there was "no contrary analysis" presented.

Taking the point further, Mr Cannock said that St Helens' transformational regeneration "cannot be achieved by any other means" if the Swan pub is not replaced by a new and improved bus station. 

After hearing all the evidence presented, the inquiry inspector, Mike Warden, will now prepare a report for the Secretary of State who then has three months to issue a decision to approve or refuse the CPO order.