New Omega West bus service to hit the road to support growth and job opportunities in St Helens Borough

Article date: 17 January 2025

The 921 service, managed by Merseytravel and operated by Howards Travel - trading as Omega Busways - will run at various times, day and night, to accommodate various shift patterns, starting at Gillars Green in Eccleston and stopping at a number of areas along the way - including St Helens town centre, Sutton and Parr - before terminating at Omega Business Park, which also serves a new Iceland distribution centre in the St Helens boundary.

Made possible courtesy of a £750,000 Section 106 financial contribution by the site's developer and owners, which was secured by St Helens Borough Council to improve public transport links to the site, travel fare costs from as little as £2 for a single journey, £3.50 for a day return or £10 for the week. St Helens Borough Council's flagship Ways to Work employment programme are even offering a free month travel pass for the new bus service for residents who attend and secure a job at a town hall recruitment event next month.

Welcoming the announcement, Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, Deputy Leader of St Helens Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said:

"This is fantastic news, and we also have plans in the pipeline to further improve bus service provision as well as walking and cycling connections to Omega West.

"As a council, we are committed to improving a range of transport options, whether it be bus, rail or active travel, which is evident through a number of projects like this one and the multi modal interchange in St Helens as part of once-in-a-lifetime town centre regeneration plans. We will continue to work with partners to ensure a reliable and efficient transport system that benefits our communities and borough and contributes positively to our Net Zero Action Plan."

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth and Regeneration, added:

"I'm delighted that we've been able to secure a regular bus service for Omega West and importantly one that connects communities in some of the more deprived areas of the borough to aspirational job opportunities with such reputable national employers.

"Once fully operational, Omega West will be one of the biggest employment sites in the borough. When supporting the original planning application for the Omega West development, we promised sustainable inclusive growth and that's exactly what we're delivering, proving how important the planning process is to the outcomes of our Borough Strategy."

Councillor Steve Foulkes, chair of the Transport Committee at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: "We're delighted to be working with partners to roll out the new 921service, which will help support jobs and opportunities at the vital Omega West development.

"Buses are the backbone of the public transport network across the Liverpool City Region and in St Helens Borough in particular - with tens of thousands of residents every day using the bus to travel to work, school and college, to the shops or to see family and friends.

"We need a bus service that is affordable, reliable and works for everyone in our region, which is why Mayor Rotheram has committed to radically improving services across every borough."

A spokesperson for Home Bargains said: "Home Bargains has invested more than £350m into its brand-new distribution centre at Omega Business Park, St Helens, Merseyside, due to begin operations in March 2025.

"This site will service 300 stores and with 24/7 operation will employ over 850 colleagues, many recruited from the local St Helens community and offering family friendly shifts. The site offers a number of employee benefits including subsidised canteen, free parking, bike parking, EVC points and an outdoor relaxation space.

"The site will have excellent travel links for local communities, located just off the M62 motorway, supported by the new 921 bus service from St Helens, a new footway/cycleway to the south of the site which connects the site to both St Helens and the rest of the Omega Business Park.

"We look forward to opening the Home Bargains Omega Distribution Centre in March 2025, with the site fully operational In August 2025, with job opportunities available throughout this period.  For the latest vacancies click here:  https://jobs.home.bargains"vacancies."

Ian Howard, Managing Director of Howards Travel, said: "We are delighted to work with St Helens Borough Council and Liverpool City Region on this exciting project - together we can provide a great service and make the 921 a resounding success.  More and more employees at Omega are switching to public transport and we are proud to play our part as the preferred supplier for bus services in the area, offering reliable quality services at ultra-low fares."

Home Bargains recruitment event

To assist Home Bargains with filling a number of full and part time permanent roles at the Omega West distribution centre - which is expected to become fully operational in the coming months -  St Helens Borough Council's Ways to Work service will host a recruitment event at St Helens Town Hall in February where residents can find out about the benefits of working for Home Bargains, hear from successful employees who have worked their way up in the business, as well as receive CV support and career guidance.

Encouraging residents looking for work to attend the recruitment event, Councillor Kate Groucutt, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and Leisure, said: "Even during the construction phase, Omega West delivered job and apprenticeship opportunities to residents, so to get to this stage so soon after planning consent - recruiting a significant number of jobs for when Home Bargains becomes fully operational - is a big moment  and with a range of aspirational roles available, it is sure to attract a lot of interest.

 "Our Ways to Work team have a proven track record of supporting residents into employment, so if you are actively seeking employment or fancy a change of career, I'd encourage you to attend this worthwhile event to explore the range of exciting opportunities available to you."

The Home Bargains recruitment event will take place on Monday 10 February, 11:00am-2:00pm, in St Helens Town Hall Assembly Room. Booking for this event is not required.

Last year, Ways to Work - funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund - helped more than 500 people from St Helens Borough into employment, training and education.

For more information on the support available, call into one of the dedicated Ways to Work centres located in Church Square Shopping Centre, St Helens Town Centre, and Bridge Street, Earlestown, or visit: www.sthelens.gov.uk/waystowork