Innovative health and youth offers make up Town Deal Bid

Article date: 9 November 2022

They join the six projects which had their business cases put before Government earlier this year and all together could draw in £25 million in investment for St Helens Town Centre. 

The final areas focus on a health innovation hub and youth zone that make up £3 million in the final overall submission. 

The health innovation hub will bring together several St Helens Cares partners to collaborate on tackling workforce issues in health and social care across the borough. The aim is to develop a visible and prestigious health and social care focused hub across two themes in prime locations. 

The first is a Skills Academy delivering enhanced training in health and care, which will be based at new purpose-built facilities in St Helens College's town centre campus. It could deliver 300 new training spaces a year, provide 300 spaces for existing staff for enhanced training and 300 people per year with careers information, advice and guidance. 

The second is Business Connect, which will be based at St Helens Chamber of Commerce after reconfiguration and refurbishment. This will provide dedicated working and meeting spaces alongside support for businesses with a health and social care focus to locate, network and collaborate. The aim is to help accelerate growth in this sector by supporting 10 businesses a year and providing opportunities for six business start-ups over three years. 

The final bid submission for the youth zone will focus on bringing a culturally focused offering in St Helens town centre for young people to benefit from. The technology based creative and cultural facilities will provide a mixed role for the community, both with open access for young people providing a warm and welcoming space alongside providing a place for targeted interventions by Children's Services and other partners. 

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, said: "This is the final business case activity in a three year long development programme through the Town Deal Board that has proved successful in securing a provisional allocation of £25 million, the highest amount available to those bidding, to fund a variety of transformational projects in St Helens town centre. We've worked hard as a partnership with public, private and third sector organisations to create a package of projects that will not just help to transform the town centre, but also benefit residents and business across the borough."

John Tabern, Chairman of the St Helens Town Deal Board, added: "When we first came together as a board we had a blank page in front of us but over the course of these three years we have worked together to create a project list of eight different schemes which will bring so many benefits for residents and businesses in St Helens town centre. It's been a real labour of love, looking to retain our heritage as well as looking forward to future needs through these projects and I want to thank everyone who has been involved with the Town Deal Board to deliver huge investment for our borough."