A BID for a share of the government’s £675 million Future High Streets Fund is being submitted by council chiefs in an effort to help transform St Helens and Earlestown town centres.

The government announced in December it was creating the fund to help councils turn fading high streets into “modern vibrant community hubs”.

St Helens Council confirmed this week that it has drawn up bids that will aim to secure multi-million pound investment for both town centres.

The effort comes amid mounting public concern about the plight of the retail areas, which have been hit by online shopping, the growth of retail parks and squeezed household budgets.

The council says work is ongoing behind the scenes to deliver its town centre vision and has also revealed it has met with English Cities Fund to discuss proposals to make the borough’s town and district centres “fit for the future”.

The English Cities Fund is a national regeneration fund that has delivered projects in Canning Town, Liverpool and Salford.

Overall, it has been involved in regeneration projects valued at £1.6 billion.
Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett met with St Helens Council leader Derek Long and council members to talk about Salford’s success through working with English Cities Fund and in attracting government investment.

Councillor Long said: “The transformation of St Helens and Earlestown centres and the wider borough is not just a vision but a project we will turn into a reality.

“Ongoing talks with English Cities Fund and the support of the likes of the Mayor of Salford show that we are serious “about delivering what will be the biggest redevelopment our borough has ever seen.

"So I’m delighted to say that we are also investing in our district areas.”

"In November my Cabinet approved £2 million to be invested in our district centres and more than £3 million to be invested in our roads. This investment will make a real change to places like Earlestown, Haydock and Rainhill with further plans being put in place to invest right across our borough.”

The district investment programme will see £1.2 million pumped into the market and shopping area of Earlestown.

More than £300,000 will also be invested in parking, road improvements and a heritage trail in Haydock, while Rainhill will benefit from a further £400,000 in similar local improvements.

These improvements will be made over the year ahead.

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “It was a pleasure to visit St Helens and hear the council’s ambitious plans for the borough. 

“We are proud of our success in Salford and very happy to share our experiences of regeneration projects.

"We have worked closely with English Cities Fund on one of the UK’s largest development projects in two distinct areas, Chapel Street and New Bailey. The scheme has the capacity to provide £650 million investment and 11,000 new jobs. 

Councillor Kate Groucutt, cabinet member for futures and performance, described it as “a critical week for our town and district centres”.

She added: “We are doing all we can to transform our borough but we cannot do this alone.

"We have been listening to traders and businesses through projects such as our market review and we are now looking at a variety of options to boost the offer currently available.

"It’s not just us committed to the future as a number of national retailers have extended their leases in St Helens town centre and will continue to provide shoppers with valued brands on their doorstep.”

Meanwhile, a new Town Centre Promotion Partnership has been ceated to bring together organisations as a forum for developing St Helens. The council says it has also made a commitment to improving CCTV networks.

Cllr Groucutt added that the key would be working together and urged residents to continue to support local businesses and use the facilities they value.