Planning permission submitted for revival of Earlestown town hall

Following the planning application which was submitted for the transformation of Earlestown's market square last month, a second application has now been submitted for the refurbishment of Earlestown town hall.

Submitted by St Helens Council and its regeneration partner ECF (formerly The English Cities Fund), the applications form major parts of the £28m plans to regenerate Earlestown town centre.

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The proposals form part of Earlestown's £28m regeneration plans (Image: St Helens Council)
With Earlestown's Grade II listed town hall closed since 2008, the plans chiefly aim to revive and repurpose the building so that it can be used by the public.

The proposals will see the building reopened with community meeting rooms, flexible workspaces and a new courtyard garden and café area, together with public toilets and a changing places facility.

Its main hall – once host to a concert by The Beatles – will be brought back to life as a performance and events space, complementing and developing the evening economy in the historic market town of Earlestown.

The town hall has been closed to the public since 2008 (Image: St Helens Star)
Constructed in the late 19th century, the town hall has already benefited from an extensive external restoration in recent years, with repairs to the building's clock tower, windows, and general disrepair.

The second planning submission follows public consultations that were held in Newton-le-Willows and Earlestown at the end of last year.

These sessions are reported to have shown 84% in favour of plans to refurbish the historic Town Hall.

Cllr Richard McCauley (end right) and Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron (second on right) recently on a visit to Earlestown Town Hall to check out external works (Image: St Helens Council)
Councillor David Baines, leader of St Helens Borough Council, said: “Local residents and businesses are keen for positive change to begin, and these designs for Earlestown reflect our ambitions to make this happen - and in a way that celebrates and builds on our proud local character and qualities.

“In Earlestown, the proposals for a much more attractive, user-friendly and flexible Market Square and a fully restored and reopened historic Town Hall will help to deliver the diverse, vibrant town centre the community deserves.” 

Tom Ivinson, Development Manager at ECF, added: “Our proposals for the Town Hall reflect the quality we’re committed to achieving in the regeneration of Earlestown.

"We want to encourage people from all walks of life to come and explore such a historic market town, and by providing a multi-faceted and sustainable community hub, we can create a valued asset for generations to come.”

Community meeting rooms, workspaces, a courtyard garden and café are part of the town hall plans (Image: St Helens Council)
Separate proposals for accessibility and environmental improvements to Earlestown Rail Station are being developed by St Helens Borough Council with partners from the rail industry as part of the Levelling Up Fund Round 2 programme.  

Plans are being funded by a £20m grant from Round 2 of the Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) with £8m in matched funding provided by St Helens Borough Council, and are being brought forward by ECF, the regeneration joint venture of developer Muse, Homes England, and Legal & General.