Plans unveiled for former Triplex club site (From St Helens Star)

Plans unveiled for former Triplex club site

2:40pm Wednesday 13th February 2013 in News

SHOPS, apartments and a medical centre could be built on land where the former Triplex social club once stood.

The venue – which controversially closed last year despite users’ protests – is in line to be demolished.

Now a developer has submitted a planning application setting out its intention for the land off Millfields, in Eccleston.

Oribit Development – commercial arm of the Emerson Group, which owns Jones Homes – has drawn up the proposals.

Jones, which is building houses on land where the former Triplex works stood, bought the Eccleston social club site as vacant possession from Pilkington last year.

The move sparked mass opposition from club goers and residents because a condition of earlier planning approval for building houses on the land was that the social club would be refurbished.

However, buying the club under vacant possession made that agreement void.

The deal drew stinging criticism from Barrie Grunewald, the deputy leader of the council, but, legally, the local authority said it was powerless to step in.

There were tears from club members when the venue closed in November and plans went through swiftly to allow demolition of the site.

Now the developer, Orbit, wants to construct two buildings on the site.

One would include three units – potentially housing a convenience and a vets practice on the ground floor, with eight apartments above it.

The other would be a medical centre and a pharmacy. A 70-space car park would support the development.

Supporting planning documents state the shops and medical centre would support the ongoing construction of homes nearby.