Proud of Our Past New Ways to Enjoy St Helens’ Rich Industrial Heritage
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St Helens Council’s community magazine Summer 2017 MEET WINDLE OUR NEW ISLAND MAYOR REVISED PAGE 10 PAGE 4 SUMMER EVENTS GUIDE PAGE 26-27 PROUD OF OUR PAST NEW WAYS TO ENJOY ST HELENS’ RICH INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE PAGE 6 AND 11 St Helens First | Summer 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk sthelenscouncil | @sthelenscouncil | Summer 2017 | St Helens First 1 St Helens First | Summer 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk sthelenscouncil | @sthelenscouncil | Summer 2017 | St Helens First St Helens Council’s community magazine Welcome Summer elcome to the summer by 2020 since 2010, we continue 2017 edition of St Helens to invest in the borough and attract First. As the magazine exciting developments to drive growth. went to print, big things While we are looking forward, we’ve Wwere going on behind the scenes also been looking back. Earlier this CONTACT US as we look to redevelop the town year we relaunched the Newton-le- Online: www.sthelens.gov.uk centre. We’re listening to residents Willows Heritage Trail and Health Email: and businesses, and you tell us that Walk amid glorious sunshine (page [email protected] the town centre is tired and lacking 6), and we’ve also been doing some Telephone: 01744 676789 investment. That’s about to change! great work with a local volunteer Minicom: 01744 671671 While we couldn’t share anything here, group to revive forgotten sections we can’t wait to tell you all about it, so of the historic Sankey Canal for the Download the free, handy app look out for some big announcements enjoyment of all (page 11). These two – search St Helens Council in the coming weeks. initiatives celebrate the best of our on your app store. Or visit our Meanwhile, West Point is slowly rich industrial heritage. Why not get Contact Centre, Wesley House, but surely developing into a top class outdoors see what all the fuss is about Corporation Street, St Helens, facility (page 5), with Chiquitos and this summer? WA10 1HF. now a bowling alley set for the site, Elsewhere, there are some exciting which comes as a huge boost for the events ahead, including St Helens’ Please contact us to request St Helens town centre’s leisure offer. first ever gin festival (page 7) and translation of council information To think what the site looked like comic book convention (page 12), into Braille, audio transcription or Council only a few years ago and how it will both held right here in the town hall. a foreign language. look once complete is very exciting If they don’t appeal, as ever there’s a Leader’s column indeed and all part of our plan to whole host of fantastic goings-on in St Follow us on Twitter: deliver a town centre that the people Helens over the next few months, so @sthelenscouncil Councillor of St Helens can be proud of. Despite be sure to check out our What’s On Like us on Facebook: Barrie Grunewald losing £90 million from our budget listings (pages 26-27). sthelenscouncil CONTACT ST HELENS FIRST MAGAZINE Email: [email protected] Online: www.sthelens.gov.uk/news Telephone: 01744 676164 TALKING PAGES St Helens First is now available in talking book form for visually 4 5 impaired people, contact us for information. ADVERTISING Features St Helens Council does not warrant the accuracy of any 4 Windle Island revised description or statement, and does not endorse any product 10 Meet our new Mayor or service contained in any commercial advertisement 26-27 Summer events guide featured in this publication. 7 9 environmentally-friendly paper. News COVER IMAGE 5 Town centre gets skate park The Sankey Valley Cycle Track, near the Nine Arches Sankey 7 Ruskin Health & Fitness Viaduct (page 11). celebrates completion 10 26 9 Saints prop men’s wellbeing Follow us Like us on on Twitter: Facebook: @sthelenscouncil sthelenscouncil St Helens First | Summer 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk sthelenscouncil | @sthelenscouncil | Summer 2017 | St Helens First 3 News Green light for revised Windle Island scheme t Helens Council’s Cabinet has approved Council Leader Barrie Grunewald said: “As for St Helens Town Centre via Rainford Road revised plans for a major improvement well as benefiting local people, improvements (including Tesco and Starbucks access), and S scheme which will see improved safety, to Windle Island are essential for regional the right hand lane for Eccleston and Prescot smoother traffic flow, and better access in growth as they will help journey times to new via Bleak Hill Road. and out of St Helens, implemented at one of developments like SuperPort, Mersey Gateway • A new left turn deceleration lane from A580 Merseyside’s busiest road junctions. and the proposed Parkside development, all of westbound onto A570 southbound to reduce Previously given the nod by Cabinet in which will create thousands of jobs. queue lengths and improve safety. November 2015, the Windle Island Junction “With a large number of developments • Two dedicated right turn lanes from the Improvement Scheme was approved by planned, the Windle Island Junction A580 westbound (towards Liverpool) onto the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Improvement Scheme will play a huge role in the A570 northbound (towards Rainford). Authority following a successful business case enabling these high profile developments to This will reduce queue lengths. submission to address key issues in St Helens, reach their full potential.” • A new 40 mph speed limit around the and to support economic growth in the wider junction to improve safety. City Region. Other improvements include the installation Costing £7,247,000 – over half of which Central to the of a controlled crossing for pedestrians and will be funded by the Liverpool City Region improvements will be: cyclists - and the introduction of linked traffic Growth Fund and the rest from capital receipts, signals at the junction of the A570 Rainford prudential borrowing and highways capital • A new four lane southbound approach Bypass with the B5201 Crank Road to control programme – the revised scheme will improve to Windle Island Junction, providing movement of vehicles into and out of Crank access to St Helens and the wider Liverpool a dedicated left turning lane to A580 Road. City Region, while minimising delays, improving eastbound towards Manchester and a If approved by full council, highway works public safety, and supporting economic growth dedicated right turning lane to A580 will begin in autumn 2017, with the scheme through improved access to key sites such as westbound towards Liverpool. expected to be completed by early 2019. Haydock Industrial Estate and SuperPort. • The reintroduction of two lanes southbound For more information on the scheme, visit: Commenting on the scheme, St Helens through the junction, with the left hand lane www.sthelens.gov.uk/windleisland 4 St Helens First | Summer 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk sthelenscouncil | @sthelenscouncil | Summer 2017 | St Helens First News Flipping brilliant – skate park gets approval ext year St Helens will inspiration, such as Stoke Plaza, have a new public artwork Projekts Manchester and Preston’s N in the form of an urban Moor Park. skate park and public space The project is led by a after the plan was approved. The committee including Merseyside installation will be an area for the Police, St Helens Council, Heart skating community to develop and of Glass – which works with showcase their skills, as well as a communities and artists, town unique and beautiful space for the centre store 51st Skate and people of St Helens. the local skate community. The Artists Heather and Ivan Morison project successfully gained have been commissioned to £65,000 from Merseyside Police’s develop the design. Experts in POCA (Proceeds of Crime public art and public space they Act) fund. Heart of Glass has have been working with local secured further backing from the skaters and skateboard experts to Creative European Union funding research what’s possible. Studio programme and through access Morison and the skaters have to Arts Council England’s Creative recently visited well-established People and Places programme. Local skaters visited Stoke Plaza skate park with Studio Morison artists. skate parks further afield for Photo by Stephen King. City Region backs Newton Lea Green scheme housing eveloper Network Space has successfully secured boost D £1.85 million of funding to t Helens Council’s Planning further develop the Mere Grange Committee has given mixed employment and residential S the green light for the site in Lea Green. development of 142 houses in The Liverpool City Region Newton-le-Willows. Combined Authority approved the The development by Taylor £1.85 million bid mid-June, as part Wimpey will include a mixture of funding available through the of detached and semi-detached Single Investment Fund (SIF). properties, on a 4.87 hectare site Mere Grange is a 21-acre to the west of Common Road strategic employment site, located that is allocated for residential close to the M62. The site already development in the St Helens benefits from a first phase of Unitary Development Plan. stylish office workspace, but phase Located approximately 1km from two will now see the development Earlestown town centre, work on of 149,250 sq ft of light industrial the dwellings is expected to start space, creating around 60 new soon. jobs and bringing £13.9 million in The well-timed approval is a investment to the area. The site boost for St Helens’ housing could also see the addition of supply after an assessment carried up to 120 new homes in a future Artist impression of the development’s second phase. out by independent assessors phase. this type of project which will and associated industries and found a requirement for more Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, especially support light industrial investment such as this goes to housing in all the key settlements Chair of the Combined Authority manufacturing businesses.