FOR years it was seen as the town’s white elephant, an unoccupied building with proposals for the site never seeing the light of day.

But now, the Savoy building on Bridge Street has been turned into a plush Chinese restaurant following a £1.1million makeover.

The Chinese Buffet is a long way from the old Savoy cinema, which stood on the site until its closure in 1993 and demolition.

Diners are greeted with a spectacular water feature, cascading beneath an ornate chandelier.

Over three floors and measuring more than 16,000 sq ft, it has room for around 500 people, and features a board room and private dining area.

Marketing director Paulo Hu is no stranger to St Helens, having worked in the Silver Star on Corporation Street 25 years ago.

He is confident the company’s most ambitious project will succeed, along with their other restaurants in Wigan, Bolton and Wakefield.

The 48-year-old, who said the company have not bought the building, said: “I often come back to the town to visit friends. I know that St Helens people like Chinese food.

“We chose this spot to liven up this part of town. We want to create somewhere with a wow factor.”

Mr Hu said most of the 40 to 45 staff in the restaurant will be from the St Helens area.

He said: “This is such a great venue, and a great place like St Helens needs something like this.”