Area
Regeneration in St Helens
St Helens regeneration news: the town centre masterplan, Earlestown and Parkside, plus funding routes and delivery partners.
Research checked
The place
St Helens' regeneration effort covers the town centre, Earlestown and Newton-le-Willows, alongside the employment-led Parkside scheme at the former colliery site. A masterplan led with the English Cities Fund is rebuilding St Helens town centre around a market hall, hotel and new homes. Earlestown's Market Square and Town Hall are being restored under the same partnership. Parkside is bringing forward large-scale employment floorspace within the Liverpool City Region Freeport.
Who decides and delivers
St Helens Borough Council is the planning authority and accountable body for Pride in Place, working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on brownfield and housing funding. The English Cities Fund, a joint venture of Homes England, Legal and General and Muse Places, is master developer for the town centre and Earlestown. Two Pride in Place boards cover Newton-le-Willows and Town Centre East and Fingerpost. Torus is the registered provider with the most documented local schemes.
What each edition tracks
Each quarter the briefing tracks these masterplans' progress, the adopted Local Plan's housing target, and both neighbourhood boards' Pride in Place plans. This edition's research was checked on 19 September 2026.
Current edition
Q3 2026
As at 19 September 2026
Funding, places and delivery. A briefing for the organisations bringing forward homes and regeneration across St Helens, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows and the wider borough. Research checked 19 September 2026.
Regeneration projects in St Helens
St Helens town centre's masterplan, led with the English Cities Fund, is delivering a new market hall, hotel, offices and homes around a transport interchange, with phase one already under construction. Earlestown's Town Hall is being refurbished and its Market Square rebuilt under the same partnership. At Newton-le-Willows, the Parkside site is bringing forward large-scale employment floorspace within the Liverpool City Region Freeport, and the Glass Futures research centre has opened at Cowley Hill.
Construction and housing funding in St Helens
Earlestown's town-centre programme is backed by a Levelling Up Fund award with council match funding. Two Pride in Place neighbourhoods, Newton-le-Willows and Town Centre East and Fingerpost, hold separate ten-year allocations. The Glass Futures research centre combined national research funding with Combined Authority support, and Parkside's employment floorspace has drawn direct investment. Registered provider Torus delivers affordable homes on several sites through the national Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Who decides regeneration in St Helens
St Helens Borough Council is the planning authority and the accountable body for Pride in Place, and is a joint-venture partner in the Parkside employment scheme. The English Cities Fund, a joint venture of Homes England, Legal and General and Muse Places, is master developer for the town centre and Earlestown masterplans. Two independently chaired neighbourhood boards decide local Pride in Place spending.
Questions about regeneration in St Helens
- What regeneration is happening in St Helens?
- St Helens' main programmes are the town-centre masterplan around a new market hall, hotel and homes, Earlestown's Market Square and Town Hall restoration, and Parkside, a large employment site at Newton-le-Willows within the Liverpool City Region Freeport. The Glass Futures research centre has also opened at Cowley Hill.
- How is construction and housing funded in St Helens?
- The town centre masterplan is delivered with the English Cities Fund, a joint venture of Homes England, Legal and General and Muse Places. Earlestown holds a Levelling Up Fund award, and two Pride in Place neighbourhoods hold separate ten-year allocations. Registered provider Torus delivers affordable homes through the national Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
- Who leads regeneration in St Helens?
- St Helens Borough Council is the planning authority and accountable body for Pride in Place, and partners the English Cities Fund as master developer for the town centre and Earlestown. At Parkside, the council is in joint venture with developer Langtree to bring forward employment floorspace.
The St Helens handbook
Planning and building-regulations guidance for the area, published separately.
Directory inclusion
Local suppliers can enquire about a listing in a future edition.