Nando’s set to spice up St Helens town centre (From St Helens Star)

Nando’s set to spice up St Helens town centre

6:31pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in News

Nando’s set to spice up St Helens town centre

ST HELENS town centre could be boosted by the arrival of national restaurant chain Nando’s.

The company has drawn up plans to develop an empty bar which forms part of the St Helens Leisure Park, at the corner of Chalon Way West and Water Street.

The two floor corner building, which a decade ago was occupied by Yates’s and more recently by the Hour Glass bar, adjoins the Cineworld cinema and Running Horses pub.

Nando’s, the Portuguese-themed chicken restaurant chain, has enjoyed considerable growth in the UK in recent years and reportedly has more than 300 restaurants nationwide.

A lack of big name national restaurant chains in St Helens is often cited as negative by those Star readers who criticise the town centre.

Its arrival is also likely to please at least some locally based professional rugby league players, who regularly turn to Twitter to extol the virtues of Nando’s chicken dishes.

The development, to change the vacant bar to a restaurant does not require planning permission.

It merely has to secure the green light to install a new shop front, external alterations and advertisement branding.

The likely investment comes shortly after McDonald’s was given permission to build a two-storey drive-thru at Chalon Way next to the Range store.

The new McDonalds, which will be third in the town, has divided opinion because it is increasing the fast food offer in a town that has an obesity problem.

However, it is creating 65 new jobs and Nando’s will also bring employment opportunities, although numbers are not known at this time.

Along with the arrival of the Range, which opened last autumn, it means there has been a significant investment in Chalon Way.

Regeneration chiefs remain hopeful of attracting leisure companies to the nearby St Thomas’ Square site, which has been earmarked for redevelopment for a decade.

Comments(20)

Daveybilo says...
7:54pm Tue 12 Feb 13

Since when has a cinema and a pub been defined as "St Helens Leisure Park"? Is their an ice rink and bowling alley hidden away somewhere?

Report this post »

saintsfan says...
8:54pm Tue 12 Feb 13

A bowling alley and an ice rink would be very nice additions. lol Surely something to consider for that mound of wasteland near the roundabout?

Anyway, hope Nando's actually opens. That's a national chain worth visiting IMO and at least it isn't a Chinese! Not that I've anything against Chinese; just that we seem to have a lot of them even if one has gone west recently (although another has just opened, in Duke Street).

Report this post »

smith&weston says...
3:51pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Another fast food outlet for the piggies of St Helens to gorge themselves at. I wonder where they get all this money that enables to them to eat out ?

Report this post »

ollie70 says...
6:51pm Wed 13 Feb 13

It must be about 15 years since plans to replace the old St Thomas' Square eyesore were first discussed. Good there will be new jobs created by this restaurant chain, but mainly part time no doubt.

Report this post »

Sankey says...
2:22pm Thu 14 Feb 13

Nandos is not a fast food restaurant smith and Weston its one of the family restaurant franchise things not my cup of tea but on the whole not bad news for St. Helens.

Report this post »

smith&weston says...
3:27pm Thu 14 Feb 13

So we have one article in the Star pointing out how many people have made use of a food bank in the town and another cheering the opening of another average eatery which won't be cheap. Either this town is on it's backside and people are broke or it's not .The whole food bank thing is just another Labour party bit of spin to rubbish the coalition in that case.

Report this post »

Sankey says...
3:52pm Thu 14 Feb 13

Nandos is not cheap and go to the retail park any weekend and you will see why the town centre is dead.

Report this post »

smith&weston says...
6:05pm Thu 14 Feb 13

The town centre is now " dead" no doubt about it but I'm not excited to see that it's now a face stuffers paradise and an alcoholics dream. In my opinion( and I stand to be corrected ) but there are no high end eating establishments there, only branches of chain eateries . Ping Ping cooking as I call it

Report this post »

Johnboi says...
7:07pm Thu 14 Feb 13

I'll get excited once we have a Starbucks in the 'St Helens Leisure park' lol
The only reason there is one in Windle is for all the high flyers passing the town by.

Report this post »

jaci.. says...
10:43am Fri 15 Feb 13

Surely a Nando's being built can only be a good thing, it is creating jobs for the unemployed and it is better than having an empty building in St Helens. Alot of my friends drive miles just for a Nando's so it will hopefully bring more people in to St Helens.

Report this post »

anthonywilson says...
12:25pm Fri 15 Feb 13

No issue at all with Nados wanting to open a new restaurant in St Helens as its something different and its not replication unlike a third McDonalds which is generally not wanted.

Report this post »

WolfieSmith says...
11:46am Sat 16 Feb 13

anthonywilson I'll say it again, if my son can get a job at a new McDonalds OR at Nando's whatever that is, then I and I'm sure he will be happy.
And it is up to the Council to promote investment in the the town in order to bring in business, hence produce jobs and stimulate its economy. I suggest from looking at the many empty buildings around the town centre, the Council is not doing that and therefore should be de-selected by the people of St Helens. I've lived in St Helens for 11 years and I still ask why there isn't a Sainsbury's or a Waterstone's?

Report this post »

anthonywilson says...
1:52pm Sat 16 Feb 13

WolfieSmith wrote:
anthonywilson I'll say it again, if my son can get a job at a new McDonalds OR at Nando's whatever that is, then I and I'm sure he will be happy.
And it is up to the Council to promote investment in the the town in order to bring in business, hence produce jobs and stimulate its economy. I suggest from looking at the many empty buildings around the town centre, the Council is not doing that and therefore should be de-selected by the people of St Helens. I've lived in St Helens for 11 years and I still ask why there isn't a Sainsbury's or a Waterstone's?

I wish your son all the best in getting a job wherever it is. Its not simply a case of good restauraunt / bad restaurant or good store v bad store, there are much wider issues at stake. If all St Helens can attract is a third McDonalds then wider questions need to be asked. Given the state of the wider economy the number of Chinese restaurants won't be sustained as it is already proven by two which have already closed; Cathay Dynasty in Hall Street and East Orient in Ormskirk Street. Will a third Mcdonalds be such a success and given the wider health realted issues/consequences?
I fully agree with you that St Helens isn't doing nowhere near enough to attract new businesses and not just new retailing or food ones either. I'm bemused as much as you given the large student population of St Helens why a store such as Waterstones didn't move in years ago. Personally its too late for that now as most people get books on line via Amazon and other internet sources so the chances of it happening now are slim.
A much more important question I feel needs to be asked is that why is St Helens only able to attract to type of businesses it is? Why since the decline of glass making, coalmining and other traditional industries etc has the St Helens economy been built around retail parks, fast food, supermarkets etc? The town has spent millions on rebuilding schools, local colleges etc. Have will built them all just so the young people of the town can just move into low paid work? I appreciate young people have to start work somewhere but surely your son deserves better long term prospects than a minimum wage job in McDonalds as do all people in this town.

[quote][p][bold]WolfieSmith[/bold] wrote: anthonywilson I'll say it again, if my son can get a job at a new McDonalds OR at Nando's whatever that is, then I and I'm sure he will be happy. And it is up to the Council to promote investment in the the town in order to bring in business, hence produce jobs and stimulate its economy. I suggest from looking at the many empty buildings around the town centre, the Council is not doing that and therefore should be de-selected by the people of St Helens. I've lived in St Helens for 11 years and I still ask why there isn't a Sainsbury's or a Waterstone's?[/p][/quote]I wish your son all the best in getting a job wherever it is. Its not simply a case of good restauraunt / bad restaurant or good store v bad store, there are much wider issues at stake. If all St Helens can attract is a third McDonalds then wider questions need to be asked. Given the state of the wider economy the number of Chinese restaurants won't be sustained as it is already proven by two which have already closed; Cathay Dynasty in Hall Street and East Orient in Ormskirk Street. Will a third Mcdonalds be such a success and given the wider health realted issues/consequences? I fully agree with you that St Helens isn't doing nowhere near enough to attract new businesses and not just new retailing or food ones either. I'm bemused as much as you given the large student population of St Helens why a store such as Waterstones didn't move in years ago. Personally its too late for that now as most people get books on line via Amazon and other internet sources so the chances of it happening now are slim. A much more important question I feel needs to be asked is that why is St Helens only able to attract to type of businesses it is? Why since the decline of glass making, coalmining and other traditional industries etc has the St Helens economy been built around retail parks, fast food, supermarkets etc? The town has spent millions on rebuilding schools, local colleges etc. Have will built them all just so the young people of the town can just move into low paid work? I appreciate young people have to start work somewhere but surely your son deserves better long term prospects than a minimum wage job in McDonalds as do all people in this town. anthonywilson

Report this post »

quizling says...
6:06pm Sat 16 Feb 13

if a monkey stood for labour in st.helens it would get voted in,a lot of people still vote labour because their mum and dad did.labour has had donkeys years to sort out the town centre and it still a dump,junkies,foreign buskers( i mean karaoke),alcoholics,
i saw 3 drunks near the ymca on friday afternoon at 3pm absolutely rat a***d,is it any wonder people stay away?as will any big business if they see the state of the place

Report this post »

frankly says...
7:40pm Sat 16 Feb 13

This town, well the centre,has gone NEVER to return..All down to retail parks..When any of my duaghters wants me to go shopping with them, its allways to the retail parks, where the BIG outlets are..Just having a couple of biggish shops, like Marks or BHS, AND Tyrers for the more affluent will never bring shoppers in wanting to spend money,not enough choice..The town that i once loved has gone forever

Report this post »

tjeurouk says...
1:45pm Sun 17 Feb 13

frankly wrote:
This town, well the centre,has gone NEVER to return..All down to retail parks..When any of my duaghters wants me to go shopping with them, its allways to the retail parks, where the BIG outlets are..Just having a couple of biggish shops, like Marks or BHS, AND Tyrers for the more affluent will never bring shoppers in wanting to spend money,not enough choice..The town that i once loved has gone forever

Retailers want larger units nowadays. The town centre cannot offer these large units so they have moved on to the retail parks. Wigan and Warrington have done major refurnishmnet to their town centres to accomadate large big name retailers and they are not doing too bad. St Helens town centre has been allowed to stagnate and its indoor shopping centres are stuck in a 1980's time warp. The shopping centres need a complete overahall and bring them update for a secure future. Their is nothing anchoring the town at the moment. I would like to see a Primark or a Topman... at a trech a Debenhams (keep dreaming). I would not then feel the need to treck to Liverpool all the time then. I am considering moving from St Helens this year. Anybody else want to jump ship?

Report this post »

anthonywilson says...
3:29pm Sun 17 Feb 13

tjeurouk wrote:

frankly wrote:
This town, well the centre,has gone NEVER to return..All down to retail parks..When any of my duaghters wants me to go shopping with them, its allways to the retail parks, where the BIG outlets are..Just having a couple of biggish shops, like Marks or BHS, AND Tyrers for the more affluent will never bring shoppers in wanting to spend money,not enough choice..The town that i once loved has gone forever
Retailers want larger units nowadays. The town centre cannot offer these large units so they have moved on to the retail parks. Wigan and Warrington have done major refurnishmnet to their town centres to accomadate large big name retailers and they are not doing too bad. St Helens town centre has been allowed to stagnate and its indoor shopping centres are stuck in a 1980's time warp. The shopping centres need a complete overahall and bring them update for a secure future. Their is nothing anchoring the town at the moment. I would like to see a Primark or a Topman... at a trech a Debenhams (keep dreaming). I would not then feel the need to treck to Liverpool all the time then. I am considering moving from St Helens this year. Anybody else want to jump ship?

Many valid points about the town centre. The main shopping centre and arcades do need a huge revamp as it is largely stuck in the 1980's. There's been little change since the Hardshaw Centre was built and that's thirty years ago now. Other town centres have moved on and improved enormously with much bigger investment in the arcade shopping areas/centres. St Helens hasn't largely improved with lower levels of investment and sadly in some areas its actually gone backwards.

Report this post »

Sankey says...
8:37pm Sun 17 Feb 13

There is a big sign on the east lancs coming out of liverpool into st helens and it says

"St Helens love your town centre"

By ST council mind you to be fair they did not say which town centre? perhaps they meant wigan or warrington. To be fair though warrington is also struggling these days the golden square has virtually killed off the rest of the town centre and even the GS is starting to struggle a bit.

Report this post »

pitbullboxing says...
1:45pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Rimmer will let it all go to hell , then she can blame the tories. Ask yourself this - have you ever seen Rammer and Arthur Scargill in the same place at once?? Maybe...just maybe...

Report this post »

Lolly92 says...
6:52pm Tue 19 Feb 13

smith&weston wrote:
The town centre is now " dead" no doubt about it but I'm not excited to see that it's now a face stuffers paradise and an alcoholics dream. In my opinion( and I stand to be corrected ) but there are no high end eating establishments there, only branches of chain eateries . Ping Ping cooking as I call it

Completely agree with you, it would be great to have some high end restaurants in the town.I can't actually think of anywhere for some really good food and a good atmosphere. St Helens is just a very miserable place at the moment and we desperately need some sort of investment to bring people and keep people in the town centre. Nandos would be the first step to achieving some sort of change and who knows may encourage other big names/brands to set up shop here if all is successful.

Report this post »

@sthelensstar

St Helens Star

Nando’s set to spice up St Helens town centre (From St Helens Star)

News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos

Nando’s set to spice up St Helens town centre

click2find

Jobs

Dating

Homes

Cars

About cookies