The English Cities Fund is getting ready to bring forward a draft masterplan for the community to comment on in early Summer.
Work has been going on behind the scenes with the fund and partner, St Helens Council, to create an emerging masterplan, with its principles taking into account the previous consultations that have taken place, along with the borough’s needs and priorities.
The fund and the council signed a 20-year, borough-wide development agreement in December 2020, with the aim of bringing forward opportunities to repurpose and regenerate areas in the borough. Potential first phases to be developed are in the two town centres of St Helens and Earlestown.
Phil Mayall, regional director at The English Cities Fund, said: “The team’s been working hard to listen to and understand all the comments from previous consultations, and shape that into a draft masterplan for the community to comment on. This is one of the most important steps on the journey and we’re looking forward to engaging with everyone in the coming months.
“Delivering that all-important sense of place through our unique brand of repurposed regeneration that drives inward investment, opportunities and prosperity, is only possible when you work together with the community to develop and shape places for the future. We know St Helens is a proud borough steeped in history, but with a real aspiration to innovate and collaborate, which is in our DNA.”
Cllr David Baines, leader of St Helens Council, said: “The plans we’re working on with The English Cities Fund for St Helens and Earlestown are very exciting and I can’t wait to share them with people. We’ve all seen glossy CGI images in the past, but this time it will be completely different – these plans are being developed with the fund, who have a proven track record, they’re ambitious and deliverable, and they will happen.
“The next few years are going to be really exciting for the borough.”
The English Cities Fund is a national strategic joint venture between leading urban regenerator, Muse Developments, Legal & General and Homes England. The fund is currently delivering some of the most complex and most successful urban regeneration projects across the UK. Following its expansion in 2018, it continues to take on large, complex sites, to create inspiring new places.
About The English Cities Fund
The English Cities Fund is a development company set up by three of the UK’s leading regeneration and investment organisations. They work in partnership with the public sector to transform urban areas and create exceptional new places.
The fund brings together the combined expertise and ambition of Homes England, the Government’s homes agency; investors Legal & General; and urban regeneration specialists Muse Developments. The partnership brings together the best of the public and private sector.
In 2018, they announced the doubling of the fund to £200 million, paving the way for new partnerships and fresh investment into urban areas across England.
Since 2001, they have delivered some of the country’s most complex and most successful urban regeneration projects. They’re proud to have taken on large, challenging sites in Liverpool, London, Plymouth, Salford and Wakefield and created inspiring new places in the heart of these cities.
Following the expansion of the fund, they are exploring new partnerships with strong public sector organisations to deliver large-scale, mixed-use opportunities.
Find out more: www.englishcitiesfund.co.uk