2022 saw the possible beginning of a major shift for St Helens town centre.
The town centre has been struggling for the past couple of decades. For a place that once relied so heavily on shopping and locally owned institutions such as Pimblett's Pies and Helena House- the shift to primarily online shopping has been a killer blow.
This, coupled with a pandemic which meant very limited footfall into the town centre for the best part of two years, and a cost of living crisis rearing its head at the end of 2022 can paint a worrying picture for the town. However, in 2022, the profile of St Helens town centre could be seen as beginning to diversify.
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Earlier in the year, it was announced that a new food and drink hub would be opened in the heart of St Helens, on Brook Street- hoping to breathe some life into the town's night-time economy with a grand opening on Halloween weekend.
The Imperial Quarter opened its doors in October 2022 with heavy investment from Ian Pitts, the entrepreneur owner of Cork & Dough restaurant, Imperial Bar, the Secret Garden and The Church- all in Ormskirk Street. The opening of the Quarter is not the only food and drink venue planned for St Helens.
The site of the former St Mary's car park in Chalon Way is set to become a shipping container food and drink park, along with an outside cinema and boutique retailers- benefitting from more than £1m investment pumped in by St Helens Council. These projects mark a turn in the culture of the town centre, as it moves towards a leisure economy, while large retailers now largely reside on retail parks outside the town centre.
The new venues, along with existing spots such as Imperial, aim to attract visitors and make them more inclined to socialise in St Helens, rather than travelling to neighbouring giants Liverpool and Manchester.
There appears to be the start seem to be a shift to a leisure economy in St Helens, and a clear attempt to entice a younger crowd into the town centre- stereotypically seen to only pull in older people, with young adults instead opting to jump on the train to eat and drink.
The ECHO spoke to some shoppers for their views. One said: "Imperial Quarter will either work or not. I think it'll be a great destination for people who are off into town, or going on a night out in a local city, or even as a pre-show meal for shows at the Theatre Royal or The Citadel. It's got great potential. We can't judge before it opens."
Another added: "I really hope it does well. We definitely need more things like this in St Helens. My only worry would be the lack of shops in St Helens. It’s nice to have a good shop then stop off for a drink/something to eat somewhere nice after, however, with nothing else to entice people into St Helens first (i.e. decent shops), I’m not sure how well it will do."
Councillor Kate Groucutt, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Economy, Business and Skills, said: "It's a really exciting time for St Helens Borough with our plans for major regeneration moving forward through our Masterplan Framework, partnership with English Cities Fund and bids to the Towns Fund and Levelling up Fund. But alongside this leadership and investment from the council, we need the vision and creativity of the private sector.
"I'm pleased that we've seen that in recent months and businesses are reporting renewed confidence and willingness to invest, start new enterprises and create jobs. We've seen many new businesses opening in St Helens in recent months in a range of sectors, including hospitality and retail, and the container park at Chalon way will only add to this offer."
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