Through a series of workshops with different stakeholders, we established a brief for services, scale of footfall and spatial requirements and used this to determine the best use of existing areas and develop a strategy for additional space.
We were further commissioned to undertake a high-level town centre study to support an asset rationalisation assessment. Our work identified a significant quantum of under-used Council facilities that presented opportunities for re-use or redevelopment.
Two of these assets were a vastly under-used St Mary’s Market Hall adjacent to the World of Glass and Citadel theatre and live music venue. Through engagement with the market stall and Citadel owners, we devised a new two-phased plan to firstly connect the museum and market halls with new hard landscaping and public realm designs that could accommodate external events and concerts, with a second phase relocating the market into the town square to drive footfall and redevelop both the Citadel and St Mary’s site and car park into a new civic facility to include swimming pool, cinema and a permanent home for the library.
The study was used to identify Council assets that could be sold or used to fund regeneration projects and is now being implemented under.
The centre of excellence for socially engaged arts and culture in St Helens provides state of the art facilities which support the arts and cultural organisations to deliver exemplary productions and displays.
“It is so exciting to return to a project 20 years later and continue to build its value as a significant community asset. It is truly a unique space with heritage and future flexibility.”
