PLANS to expand the Millennium Centre to provide a pharmacy, meetings rooms and office accommodation are in the pipeline, says its founder.

The centre was the brainchild of 'social entrepreneur' Tony Richards MBE and has been a recognisable feature in the town centre for the past 15 years.

Tony, from Windle, was awarded the MBE in 2007 in recognition for his work in the voluntary sector in St Helens.

The new building, to be situated on the car park on the corner of Corporation Street and Shaw Street, is expected to feature a new pharmacy on the ground floor and offices and meeting rooms on the upper storeys.

Tony says he expects the building to be around three to four storeys in size with space available for any organisations connected to health and social care in the borough.

"The Millennium Centre has been a landmark in the town for the past 15 years," said Tony, 74.

"We have 40 organisations which utilise that building and we're going to be inviting expressions of interest from any organisations that are associated with health and social care.

"We will be having meeting rooms and office accommodation there and it's going to be on the corner of Corporation Street and Shaw Street on the car park at the back of the centre."

Tony says the centre has already raised a "substantial amount of funding" towards the building over the past few years.

He says there are various options for groups who wish to be based there, either by renting for a period or by providing the funding to receive a 99-year 'peppercorn' rent-free period.

"It's going to be substantial. It's at the gateway to the town. If you had to put a pin on a building that's the most accessible you would put it on the Millennium Centre."