A trio of firms start work on the £90m transformation of St Helens town centre that will include new homes, a hotel and market. Tony McDonough reports
Main contractor Vinci has awarded the first three contracts to firms to start work on the £90m transformation of St Helens town centre.
In September 2023 LBN revealed St Helens Council had approved a £90m funding package for phase one A of the project. It will see a mixed use development across 24 acres of the town delivered in partnership with English Cities Fund (ECF).
It will comprise a new market hall flanked by a mixed-use area that includes a 120-bedroom globally branded hotel, 64 new homes and 11,000 sq ft of retail space.
Following the closure of the 115,000 sq ft Hardshaw Shopping Centre, three local firms have now been engaged by the main contractor VINCI Building for enabling works that will support the early stage of the project.
This large-scale regeneration scheme is being brought forward by St Helens Council and ECF, a partnership formed of Homes England, Legal & General and Muse.
By reimagining the space where the enclosed Hardshaw Shopping Centre currently stands, the project will also create new public spaces and streets, better walking and cycling routes, areas for children to play and landscaped areas.
Ayesa, located on the Mere Grange Business Park in St Helens, has won the contract for the initial site investigation work. The firm has had an office in St Helens for 25 years via two companies it acquired – Byrne Looby and Terra Consult.
Its work will help determine the requirements for the building foundations. The process involves drilling rotary boreholes 30 metres deep into the ground, which provides important information about the geology of the site.
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A&B Engineering, a mechanical and electrical contractor based at Old Swan in Liverpool, has also joined the team to provide early specialist contractor involvement.
A third contract awarded has gone to HA Civils, a national contractor that has a longstanding operational base in St Helens, which will help deliver the temporary bus hub on Chalon Way West.
Cllr Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth and Regeneration at St Helens Council said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime transformational project that will give St Helens town centre a vibrant, attractive and sustainable future.
“But the future starts now and we are determined to make sure the programme of work creates social value outcomes through jobs, training and skills opportunities in accordance with our Inclusive Growth Strategy.
“Our project partners are fully committed to this goal and we are pleased to see local firms benefiting from some of the first works contracts.”
Further work packages will be announced via the project website.