Works finally begin at long-delayed Foundry 'box park' in St Helens

Teams of workers have been seen on site this week at the land off Chalon Way, where a multi-storey car park was demolished several years ago.

Plans for the venue, which will see food and drink outlets and other leisure operators set up in shipping containers were announced in February 2022.

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Groundworks have started to take shape at the Chalon Way site (Image: St)
An agreement was signed by Steel Life Group Ltd to create the type of multi-use attraction that has proved popular in neighbouring cities and towns.

It was announced it will be called The Foundry, with plans for an outdoor leisure space of shipping containers, including eating and drinking areas, a retail hub, and an outdoor cinema.

However, there have been a series of delays in the project which has led to growing public cynicism around the canal-side development, with the latest estimated date of completion given as Spring 2024.

There has also been consternation among some council officials and councillors over the delays, the Star understands.

Two years on, there does seem to be signs of action at the site, although a targeted completion date for the project is still not been made public.

Spring 2024 was the previous estimated date of completion (Image: St Helens Star)
In a statement sent to the Star last month, Steel Life Group UK said it had been given the green light to start groundworks and that it was moving ahead with construction plans.

It said the appointment of ground workers would see the site being prepared for the delivery of phase one’s containers, and that there has been interest from businesses looking to rent space at the site.

The company says phase one will see more than 20 bespoke restored container units ready for businesses offering opportunities “for everything from shops, eateries, bars, workspaces, community projects or something unique”.

The Foundry management team says it plans to provide opportunities for local businesses and trades to support the project throughout the development process.

In a statement released in April, Chris Lewis, The Foundry’s lead director, said: “Our own project management team has expanded to meet the level of enquiries we are receiving from all sizes of local businesses wanting to bid for projects.

“The launch of our tenant information packs is all in preparation for our construction programme scheduled to coincide with our works starting on site.”