ST HELENS Council has confirmed it has purchased the former Clickworks building and set out its plans for the site.

In June last year, Clickworks building - which had been opened by St Helens Chamber in 2018 - was put up for sale. 

Clickworks, on Hardshaw Street, was a hub owned by St Helens Chamber that provided a wide range of digital and job skills courses.

Cost was given as a rationale for the decision at the time, and since then St Helens Chamber has gone into administration, leading to 71 redundancies.

The Star can now reveal that Clickworks has been purchased by St Helens Council, which will turn it into a Health and Care Innovation Hub, fulfilling one of the goals in the Towns Deal following the successful application for £25m of government funds, which will be used for a variety of projects.

It is understood the deal to buy the Clickworks site was in place prior to the Chamber going into administration. Specific details of the purchase have not been made public.

The move will bring another empty town centre building back into public use, although there is no timeline at this stage. 

Read: St Helens Chamber has gone into administration with immediate effect

Council's statement

A spokesperson for St Helens Council said: “The purchase of the former Clickworks building supports our town centre regeneration masterplan, with the site identified for the development of a Health & Care Innovation Hub, in collaboration with a range of partners that together form St Helens Cares.

“Funded by the Town Deal, the vision for the Hub is to cultivate a sustainable and ‘home-grown’ health and social care workforce to meet the borough’s growing needs in this sector.

“With dedicated learning and training spaces, engagement and advice, the Hub will empower local people to enter and progress their careers in health and social care with all the support and resources they need.”