TOWN hall chiefs continue to prioritise the "radical transformation" of St Helens town centre – with a pause of the scheme or a reduction of the standard of it ruled out.

A report on the plans for St Helens town centre, phase 1A, will be discussed by the council’s cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday.

The cabinet is recommended to approve the investment of £69.2 million of council funding to deliver phase 1A of the St Helens town centre regeneration initiative – which has been identified within the council’s medium-term financial strategy pipeline.

Phase one plans

The council remains committed to the delivery of phase one, but it is recognised that to maintain momentum it is necessary to refine the current approach, according to the report.

However, it also confirms that two alternative approaches have been considered.

“The first would involve reducing the quality standard of the original phase one proposals by value engineering to get closer to the financial envelope the council has identified,” it says.

“The second would involve pausing the whole regeneration scheme whilst awaiting better economic conditions.”

The report states that reducing the standard of the scheme is not considered a viable option for several reasons, and delivering a better town centre is key to unlocking the wider economic benefits.

“If the schemer were to be paused, then all the positive momentum that has been garnered over the last three years would be lost and it difficult to determine how long the council would be waiting for better economic conditions and the scheme would undoubtedly cost more in the future,” it adds.

“The negative impact on the resident and business community is immeasurable if this option was pursued.

“The St Helens town centre regeneration programme environment maintains a full risk register that identifies a range of risks facing the programme.

“This is reviewed at regular intervals ensuring appropriate mitigating actions are undertaken and the risks are mitigated as per expectations.

“Further increased costs from design or inflation are a risk to delivery. To mitigate the financial exposure risk to the council when agreeing the development cost with the English Cities Fund and the appointed contractor, it is recommended that an independent cost consultant be appointed by the council to ensure the council has the necessary skill and experience to be an intelligent client.”

Hardshaw Street footprint

Furthermore, the report states that the phase one regeneration area for St Helens town centre is "located at its very heart", focusing on the footprint of the current Hardshaw Shopping Centre and gateway arrival point of St Helens bus and rail station.

It proposes a "high-quality aspirational" development that will deliver a new market hall, hotel, office, housing, all linked together by extensive public realm improvements, alongside a new and extended bus station.

It says this will "collectively act as a catalyst for the necessary radical transformation" of St Helens town centre and improve the viability for delivery of future phased initiatives in general accordance with the adopted masterplan development framework.