Plans for Cannington Shaw site in St Helens given go-ahead

MGMA Architects and the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust CIC have secured approval for the first phase of the refurbishment works to the Cannington Shaw No.7 Bottle Shop.

The site is near the Steve Prescott Bridge on land between the Tesco supermarket and St Helens town centre, and a short distance from the new £54m Glass Futures innovation centre. It is currently listed as Priority A on Historic England’s ‘Heritage At Risk’ Register.

The Cannington Shaw No:7 Bottle Shop is a Grade II listed site

Working with the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust as client and site custodian, MGMA have developed proposals to secure the building shell and provide emergency conservation works, alongside new facilities for the Trust including community, education, and event spaces together with a feature viewing tower.

The phase I works are part of a broader initiative funded by the St Helens Town Deal Board, which was successfully awarded £25 million from the UK Government’s Towns Fund initiative.

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The bottle shop has been vacant and deteriorating since the former United Glass site was cleared in the early 1980s. Scheduled Monument consent for the phase one works was granted by Historic England in August 2023, clearing the way for the planning application to be brought forward.

The project blends conservation of the unique industrial heritage asset, with complementary uses including visitor facilities and a base for the Trust’s heritage skills academy, designed to develop awareness of traditional building techniques in the local construction supply chain.

The plans for the first phase of the Cannnington Shaw project have been approved

MGMA Architects is a Liverpool-based practice specialising in new uses for historic buildings. They were supported in the application process by planning consultant Pegasus Group as agent, Blackett-Ord Conservation Engineers, AWK Engineers (civils), Prime Transport Consultants, and Rodney Environmental Consultants (MEP), JT Project Management Ltd, and Caroline Platt Consultancy.

The plans for the first phase of the Cannnington Shaw project have been approved

MGMA Architects director Matthew Ashton said: “Receiving planning permission is a significant step towards saving this at-risk Scheduled Monument structure, a recognition of the work of the Trust, and a key part of the regeneration of St Helens which celebrates the special value of the town’s industrial heritage.”

Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust chairman and project director John Tabern added: “The road to get to this point has been long and at times difficult. However, MGMA have been a constant help and support in this process, guiding and advising at ever turn.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their belief in the project, as well as their unwavering commitment.”