Our Sustainable Future case study: St Helens, Merseyside

Spreading the benefits of regeneration across St Helens

ECF, our partnership with Legal & General and Homes England, is working together with St Helens Borough Council in Merseyside to transform St Helens town centre.

It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive change and create opportunity, placing the community at the core of our approach as part of a 20-year regeneration plan.

By removing a tired shopping centre in the heart of the town, we have unlocked an opportunity to transform St Helens in to an even more vibrant, safe, and people- friendly destination.

A truly mixed-use masterplan, our approach includes new homes, workplaces, shops, cafes, and public spaces. It even includes a new market hall and space for local businesses, along with enhancements to public transport infrastructure.

The first phase will include a 120-bed Hilton hotel, a 22,000 sq ft market hall, 64 homes including 54 apartments over ground floor retail space and 8 townhouses, a new transport interchange, and extensive public space. Later phases will include a highly sustainable timber-frame office building, 11,000 sq ft of retail space and a new public park.

Over the long-term our approach will have a transformational impact – making St Helens a more attractive place to live and spend time and drawing people from across the region.

It will elevate the local economy, provide opportunities for all, and enhance community wellbeing.

Whilst the long-term outlook is exciting, it’s important that regeneration can also benefit communities today. Having commenced delivery of the first phase of the masterplan in 2024, we have already delivered a ‘Social Value Return’ of £441,716.

Over the lifetime of the regeneration, we have estimated an overall social value return of at least £47 million.

The three key pillars of social value include social, economic, and environmental and it’s important that truly sustainable regeneration captures all three.

To shape our approach, we collaborated with PLACED and the Social Value Portal to create a Social Value Measurement Framework and strategy in St Helens. This involved engaging over 100 young people across four local schools.

Workshops have been held with businesses and training providers, and we’ve held pop-up consultation events across the town centre. We heard about challenges, priorities, and what could be improved or enhanced.

As a result, our Social Value Strategy for the delivery of Phase One includes five key areas: Design Team Social Value, Community Engagement, Local Economy & Supply Chain, Education, Skills & Employment, and Health, Wellbeing & Environment.

Already in 2024 and 2025, we have supported a Careers Fair at a local academy, as well as Build it St Helens – a Green Technologies and Skills Show. We have supported with mock interviews at local colleges, and careers masterclass sessions with young people across the community.

We are employing local people, including apprentices, and have supported the Standing Tall Foundation Christmas Appeal which ensures vulnerable young people from across St Helens have a present to open on Christmas Day.

We have partnered with St Helens RFC’s Saints Community Development Foundation to support inclusive cheerleading opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our team has volunteered over 130 hours with the Cannington Shaw Project which aims to restore the historic No.7 Bottle Shop.

This is only the start of what we will deliver in St Helens.

By working together with the local authority, our delivery partners, and the community we can ensure that the benefits of regeneration are not only enjoyed in 20 years, but are felt from day one.