Homegrown skills lead the way as Earlestown Town Hall revamp progresses

Article date: August 5th 2025

Earlestown's much-loved Grade II Listed Town Hall has already benefitted from a £1m investment in its external restoration by St Helens Borough Council and work is now about to transform this landmark building with provision for community meeting rooms, event space, flexible workspaces and a new courtyard garden and café. Its historic main hall is also set to be brought back to life as a performance and events venue, helping to boost Earlestown's evening economy.

Contractor HH Smith & Sons has been undertaking a key package of enabling works in recent months and is now pressing ahead with the full internal refurbishment and building extension.

One of the key figures leading the project for HH Smith & Sons is St Helens-born Site Manager Barry Stenson, who lives in the Nutgrove area of Thatto Heath.

"We've been busy undertaking key works to ready this beautiful building for its refurbishment," explained Barry. "That included removing old plumbing, drainage and electrical systems that were no longer fit for purpose, and creating key openings to ready the building for a variety of new uses. It's about sensitivity restoring an historic building so it retains its original charm while being practical and suitable for new uses today and into the future."

Barry, 53, who is married with two children and a season ticket holder at St Helens Rugby League Club, said working on such a landmark project in his home borough brings particular pride.

"St Helens is my hometown and it's fantastic to see investment finally coming into the area," he said. "I feel I have a valuable role in driving the scheme forward. I manage personnel, materials, and resources, while ensuring the site remains safe and compliant. HH Smith & Sons has already used local labour on the project, and that will only increase as we move into the main programme of works."

HH Smith & Sons is committed to an extensive social impact charter, which includes local spending, job creation and community engagement in St Helens borough. The firm will offer up to 20 weeks of training for two young people, provide work experience opportunities for local students, create new job starts, facilitate site visits for local schools, and make a donation to local a community organisation within Earlestown. It has already collaborated with local antiques experts as well as St Helens specialist stone mason, Stone Central, to preserve as much of the original building as possible.

"I'm proud to work for a contractor with strong ties to St Helens, and even prouder to be involved in a project that will benefit the area for years to come," added Barry.

The Earlestown Town Hall restoration follows planning application approvals in December 2024 and aims to breathe new life into this iconic landmark.

The building is part of a wider regeneration scheme supported by £20m from Round 2 of the Government's Levelling Up Fund (LUF), alongside £8m match funding from St Helens Borough Council. Furthermore, the Council has recently secured £1.113m in grant funding from Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to undertake carbon-reduction works as part of the building's refurbishment. This will include replacing the existing heating system with air source heat pumps and complementary measures such as modern insulation, efficient LED lighting, lighting controls and an upgraded electricity supply.

Further investment in the town, will see Earlestown's public spaces and market square transformed into a high-quality multi-use public square to support and grow the town's historic market. In addition, St Helens Borough Council and partners from the rail industry are developing proposals for accessibility and environmental improvements at Earlestown Rail Station as part of the Levelling Up Programme.

Councillor Anthony Burns, Leader of St Helens Borough Council, said: "This investment is a game-changer for Earlestown and our wider borough and I am pleased to see works continuing at pace to revitalise this key landmark. Earlestown Town Hall is a treasured building, and seeing it restored and repurposed as part of this major regeneration programme is a source of great pride for our community. It's also about more than bricks and mortar - it's about jobs, opportunities, and a brighter future for local people. Throughout the Earlestown Town Hall project, the contractor has committed to utilising a local supply chain, workforce and merchants. It's absolutely central to our approach to regeneration that local people benefit in terms of jobs, skills and local spend."

David Baines, Member of Parliament for St Helens North, said: "I am delighted to see works moving forward on the historic Earlestown Town Hall following significant investments made by St Helens Borough Council and the government. It is especially encouraging to see local residents already benefiting from these transformational works through employment on the scheme. Earlestown is an historic market town that already has a strong sense of community and pride of place and now is an opportunity for us to build on those strengths."

Matt Whiteley, senior development manager at ECF, said: "The Town Hall has been central to Earlestown's rich history and it's at the heart of its future.  The project is progressing well and with its range of uses and amenities will be a wonderful addition for the local community and visitors alike."

The landmark heritage scheme is being brought forward by St Helens Borough Council and ECF - a partnership of Homes England, L&G, and Muse, the nationwide place-maker.