'Outdoor Kes' among plans for St Helens town centre regeneration

This reinvention of the former popular 'Kid-Eating Snake' play area from the 1980s in the Hardshaw Centre, which is being demolished under the plans, is among many references to St Helens’ past that are featured in the town centre regeneration plans.

St Helens Borough Council and its project partner The English Cities Fund (ECF) have been working on plans to transform the town centre, with the aim of restoring a genuine sense of pride in the area, along with design practice Planit-IE.

The regeneration has been described as a “passion project” by those involved, with co-founder of Planit-IE Pete Swift born and raised in the town himself.

Pete Swift, co-founder of Planit-IE; Councillor David Baines, leader of St Helens Council and Stuart Rogers, project director of Muse Places/English Cities Fund (Image: Submitted)

Amid a backdrop of declining footfall and issues facing businesses, the "once in a lifetime" regeneration plans seek to give the town a new lease of life.

One thing those behind the regeneration emphasise is the “St Helens-ness” of the project and that it will be designed to reflect the town’s unique identity.

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References to St Helens’ heritage are to be a “massive aspect” of the plans with plenty of elements to “stir up people’s memories”.

Among them will be an outdoor ‘Kes’ play area, a reference to the ‘kid eating snake’ which was a much-loved feature of the Hardshaw Centre that many residents will have memories of from bygone years.

A reserved matters application setting out the finer details of phase one was submitted earlier this month.

Among the proposals is for a 'pocket park', which will feature an "outdoor KES".

This will be situated close to the Market Hall, a central feature of this part of the town centre regeneration.

The plans state: “The area to the east of the market hall along Hall Street has been identified as a pocket park.

"Kes the child eating snake winds its way through the landscape and there are pockets of play with landscape creating a safe buffer to the road. Play varies from ramps, rain gardens to possible table tennis tables with places to sit end enjoy the space, catch up with friends or meet new ones.”

'KES' will be reimagined, with an outdoor version of the play area among the many nods to St Helens' past in the plans (Image: St Helens Council Planning Portal)

Plans add that “reinventing” the popular former Hardshaw Centre play feature “alongside the Market Hall re-enforces the link to St Helens’ recent history”.

It is said: “By utilising the serpent shape as seating and in ground play elements forms a delightful route with functional seating and exciting play features.”