COUNCIL chiefs have vowed to seize on the "once in a lifetime opportunity" to transform St Helens and Earlestown town centres after backing ambitious proposals.

St Helens Council’s cabinet has today, Wednesday, approved draft masterplan frameworks that set out the vision for the two areas.

Leader Cllr David Baines said the draft plans for St Helens are ambitious but deliverable.

He also told members this is a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and one that "I, and we, intend to seize".

He added: “This is a hugely important meeting as we all know, everyone in this room, and the items before us are among the most significant that any of us, I think, will ever take while serving on this council.

Street scenes of how the transformed areas could look

Earlestown has its own vision, which will aim to revive the market town

“I want to thank Cllr McCauley, council officers and all partners of English Cities Fund (ECF), some of whom are in the room today I’m glad to say, and all those who have worked so hard throughout the pandemic, let’s remember, to draw up these plans and to get us to this point.

“We want both St Helens and Earlestown town centres to be a source of pride, child and family friendly places, home to thriving local businesses, quality homes, leisure and outdoor spaces with great transport links, digital connectivity and future-proof to address the climate emergency – and that’s what our partnership with ECF and these plans before us today will deliver.”

Councillors welcomed the plans which aim to help drive change, complementing existing assets to deliver high quality, sustainable regeneration that makes St Helens and Earlestown town centres vibrant places that families and people of all ages can enjoy.

The cabinet also approved an extensive consultation period to give as many people, young and old, residents and business owners, partners and people from outside of the borough the chance to have their say on the plans which will see ‘once in a generation remodelling’ of the two town centres.

Both town centres are the subject of separate draft masterplan development frameworks, which set out multi-million-pound vision and principles for each.

The masterplans have been prepared by St Helens Borough Council in partnership with regeneration experts, the ECF.

Street scenes of how the transformed areas could look

Parish Church would remain central to the plans

Delivery of the ambitions for St Helens town centre are expected to span the next 20 years, with an initial phase one planning application anticipated to be submitted early next year that will see a new mixed-use development including a new market, a hotel, cutting edge flexible commercial Grade A office space, a redesigned bus station and improved connectivity delivered in the first five years of the programme.

It also includes space for new high-quality homes for families to live and grow.

The longer-term proposals for St Helens town centre divide the town centre into four zones, each of which will each play a role in the wider transformation of the town centre.

These zones are the central retail zone, civic and heritage zone, discovery zone, and the education and entertainment zone.

In Earlestown, the vision is to bring the town centre back to its former glory as a historic market town by creating a thriving and vibrant high street and marketplace.

To do this, the proposals include the reopening of the Town Hall and re-defining the Market Square as a place for people, with a multi-use offer.

In addition, the ambitious plans include accessibility improvements at Earlestown rail station and consideration of a new transport hub adjacent – it is hoped this will promote multi-modal journeys which is key to boosting the economic vitality in the area and enabling commuters to travel and interchange more conveniently.

An initial phase one planning application for Earlestown town centre is also anticipated in early 2022.