First glimpse of how St Helens' Imperial Food and Drink Quarter is set to look

Entrepreneur Ian Pitts has given the Star a first glimpse of how the Imperial Quarter is set to transform the site of a former public toilets on Brook Street.

The businessman already owns the Cork & Dough restaurant, Imperial Bar, the Secret Garden and The Church, which are on Ormskirk Street – adjacent to the new site.

Now he is pumping further investment into the town centre and work is well underway to construct the new eating and drinking hub, with builders and scaffolders on site today continuing construction.

Computer generated images released today are expected to deliver a shot of excitement to Star readers, who are keen to get back socialising after the frustrations of lockdown.

No opening date has been given for the Imperial Quarter yet, but Mr Pitts is expected to make further annoucements in June when details of which independent food sellers will be locating there will be revealed.

With the new Smokehouse by The Dean opening on Barrow Street today, offering outside hospitality, adjacent to its sister restaurant The Dean, a number of the town's leisure entrepreneurs hope to change the dynamic of the social scene in St Helens.

They believe street food-style venues and an increase in restaurants can help St Helens become a destination and create a "vibe" that is different from the "vertical drinking bars" that came to dominate over the past decade.

Mechanical bollards are being installed on Barrow Street to ensure the paved area is free of cars at weekends.

Independent business leaders also believe creating a strong food and drink offer will have knock on benefits for retailers by drawing footfall back into the town centre.

The venue is steadily taking shape

As the Star reported earlier this year, the documents and drawings in the planning application for the Imperial Quarter, submitted to St Helens Borough Council in January, set out ambitions to convert the former building with the addition of a first floor extension.

On the ground floor would be a series of street food units and on the first floor there is set to be seating.

There would also be an ice cream shop.

Blueprints for the food and drink hub on Brook Street, St Helens

The proposals also aim to install other containers on the paved area near the Brook Street building that would house two additional extra street food units. There would also be outdoor seating.

In the region of 20 new jobs could be created.

Local street food and bar business models were working successfully in cities around the UK over the past few years prior to lockdown.

Imperial Quarter is set to be a smaller scale version for St Helens but there are hopes, if approved, it could deliver a boost to the hospitality sector and social scene once lockdown restrictions are eventually eased.