THE council leader says progress is being made on the St Helens town centre regeneration project – as an announcement over the arrival of a “globally branded hotel chain” looks set to be made imminently.

In the full council meeting on Wednesday, during the leader’s announcements, council leader Cllr Anthony Burns said “since our last council meeting, cabinet have been working very hard to progress a number of projects”.

“Progression on phase one of the regeneration of St Helens town centre has moved at great pace,” he added, although the Star understands the £90m project is not without its challenges.

Hardshaw Centre closure

“At the beginning of August, we saw the Hardshaw Centre close its doors for the final time, and although many of us have fond memories it was also something that people told us needed to change and needed to modernise.

The Hardshaw CentreThe Hardshaw Centre (Image: St Helens Star)

“Within days of the closure, enabling work started on the site, including site surveys, mapping of utilities, and prep work for the hoardings that will be erected in the coming months before stripping out of the interior commences in autumn.

“We’ve relocated more than 30 retail units from the Hardshaw Centre to other locations, with every retailer who wanted to stay in the town accommodated, and that has been a tremendous feat by officers, so our congratulations and thanks go to the officers who worked really, really hard with our shop owners and business users on that.

“And because of that Church Square Shopping Centre now has an occupancy level of 95 per cent, which is almost unprecedented giving the challenges we face currently, with people going to out of town retail parks and shopping online.”

Hotel announcement

Furthermore, Cllr Burns said “we also hope” to announce the “globally branded hotel chain, who will be coming to St Helens town centre, in the coming week”.

The hotel deal has been discussed for months - without an announcement being made - but the international chain is finally set to be confirmed.

Challenges

Despite the rosy picture portrayed in cabinet over the regeneration project, which is being run in partnership with the English Cities Fund, the Star understands it is not without its challenges, hurdles and delays - even in what are the formative stages.

Works on the temporary bus station are understood be pivotal to the scheme's moving parts, as it will allow the public transport system to function while the transformation of the area around Bickerstaffe Street takes place.

Over the summer, the council said it was aiming to open the temporary bus hub in the early part of 2025, but it remains to be seen whether this target date will prove realistic.

When it does open, St Helens' current bus station on Bickerstaffe Street will close to allow demolition to commence and make way for the construction of a new, extended modern Multi-Modal Transport Interchange.

Chalon Way West was chosen to be the location for the bus hub because it offers easy access to shops, amenities, and employment areas in the town centre and represented the least disruptive option, the local authority added in the statement issued over summer.