A MAJOR hotel chain is being lined up to locate in St Helens town centre as part of the £90m regeneration plans, the Star understands.

As reported last month, the biggest ever single investment in St Helens town centre has been approved by St Helens Borough Council for Phase One A of the large-scale transformation project.

The council is working in partnership with The English Cities Fund (ECF) on the town centre plans, with Vinci Building appointed last month to lead the construction of the scheme.

Transformation plans

The plans include a new market hall flanked by a mixed-use area that includes a 120-bedroom hotel, 64  new homes and 11,000 sq. ft. modern retail space to be delivered in the initial phase.

The different elements will all be linked together by extensive improvements to public areas, alongside a new and extended bus station.

Plans for the hotel element of the scheme have drawn some cynical comments from the public in St Helens, who have questioned whether it is needed.

However, the Star understands talks are well progressed with an occupier and that the announcement by the English Cities Fund that it would be a "globally branded" hotel chain is not PR spin as some critics on social media have claimed.

The potential occupier, which is yet to be named but is likely to be announced in the coming months, is a household name, the Star understands, and those close to the project believe it would be the kind of venue that would be attractive to business people visiting St Helens for meetings.

'A catalyst'

The English Cities Fund believes the "new buildings and public spaces will collectively act as a catalyst for the radical transformation of the town centre whilst improving the viability of future phases".

As things stand, the town's most central hotel is the Mercure St Helens, which is located just off the linkway at Chalon Way.

The leisure entrepreneur Ian Pitts still has plans in the pipeline to create a hotel around land at the rear of the former Counting House pub, while Travelodge has shown interest in locating centrally in the borough too. 

Speaking last month, Max Bentham, development director for ECF, said: “The scale of phase one will bring radical change for the better for the people of St Helens and help the town thrive again.

"We are delighted to be progressing and grateful for the input from the council on a delivery strategy that helps mitigate the challenges posed by inflation, which are being felt everywhere.”

The next step will be ECF, in conjunction with the council, advancing the detailed designs ahead of a reserved matters planning application submission in the autumn. 

Demolition of the Hardshaw Centre and the existing bus station could then start in 2024.

'Corporate visitors'

Earlier this year, the council said an additional hotel will create transformative change, as it can attract corporate visitors and "support the town's highly successful sport, leisure and visitor attractions".

The council also said that there was a "great deal of interest" from the hotel sector when proposing the plans, and that stakeholders have highlighted "a need for high-quality accommodation for corporate visitors".

In April, a spokesperson for English Cities Fund and St Helens Council said: “The hotel is a key component of the new town centre offering and one of many investments that will bring about transformational change for the better. 

"Demand studies evidenced the need for an additional hotel in the town centre and when the concept was market tested there was a great deal of interest from the hotel sector and that very much remains the case.

"We have also heard directly from several stakeholders, including international businesses operating in St Helens, that there is a need for high-quality accommodation for corporate visitors with a focus on including bespoke facilities for extended stays.

"The hotel will also directly support the town's highly successful sport, leisure and visitor attractions. 

“We will update on progress with securing a global hotel brand in due course. The hotel is planned to come forward at the same time as the wider Phase One town centre construction commencing next year.”