Hotel proposed for central St Helens
Wolverhampton House off Church Street has been earmarked for redevelopment into an 82-bedroom economy hotel, broadening the range of options in the town.
Bury-based Sterling Property, connected to the group of businesses controlled by billionaire Together founder Henry Moser, has submitted a planning application for the eight-storey project to St Helens Council.
Designed by Artform, the project is located off the five-arm Parr Street roundabout close to St Helens Central station.
Part of the new-build hotel would be constructed behind the retained façade of Wolverhampton House, a three-storey 19th century commercial building. The eight-storey element would be built on a site next door currently housing a single-storey building.
The project is the second hotel proposed in St Helens town centre in short order. ECF’s masterplan for the regeneration of the town centre includes a 120-bed Hampton by Hilton.
A report by hotel expert Jenics states that Sterling’s hotel “would not compete” with the Hampton by Hilton.
Sterling’s scheme would fall within the economy category while the Hampton by Hilton brand is considered upper midscale.
The only other hotel in the town centre is the Mercure.
To learn more about the scheme, search for reference number P/2025/0478/FUL on St Helens Council’s planning portal.
Eden Planning is advising on planning matters and Layer Studio is the landscape architect.
The façade of Wolverhampton House would be retained. Credit: via planning documents
What’s happening with st Helens,do something with the shop’s wasting money on buildings we don’t need no good having hotels if their is no is no were shop
By Ged
Ged, due to the use of Internet shopping, traditional shops are closing across the country in cities, towns and villages. One way to ease this problem is to bring more people into the centre of towns who will spend money in the remaining shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. Building hotels and apartments helps attract people to spend their money, just look at the rejuvenation of Stockport town centre who have followed this model. The only other way to stop shops closing is to ban people using the likes of Amazon which is not going to happen.
By Anonymous
Ged – don’t you think a private business should be able to invest its money in any way it sees fit? I think a developer investing its own money in the area can only be good news.
By YIMBY
Why,do especially the town need hotel, no one is going to want stay in a town with no shops
By Anonymous
Is this the building what was once The Raven pub? Who is going to use the 2 new hotels in the town when the one we already have doesn’t get used much? There is nothing in the town to attract visitors .
By Anonymous
Why???
By Anonymous
The sooner we get Reform UK in our town the better then we can get DOGE in to check the books wake up people of St Helens before its to late
By Anonymous
Who is this hotel aimed at,in St Helens there is already 5 hotels plus various B&Bs catering for all budgets.
By Chris
See the bigger picture. Tellins could make more of the easy access available through the rail network for the visitor economy across the North West or a choice of options for those who do business to put staff up for the night. Bring more people in and give them a reason to come back with better retail and leisure. And yes, private sector investment should be seen as encouraging.
By Sean McRae
Looks good, hopefully it actually happens. Very frustrating to see people moaning about the town being dead. Yet when someone invests, they question the need for it.. Classic Chicken & Egg situation.
By MH
Ged – Tell me you know nothing about private finance and redevelopment without saying you know nothing about private finance and redevelopment!
By JP
The internet isn’t the sole reason for shops closing and a lack of shoppers. It’s because the town centre is just an abundance of tacky shops selling cheap rubbish nobody wants, a million turkish barbers, and vape shops. That and the fact that shops never have what you need anymore, it has become a waste of time to go to them. Even the argos here never has anything in stock and you have to wait up to four days to get it. That’s why people just go to amazon and get it same or next day delivery.
By Anonymous
you will not have 2 hotels in st Helen you will not get one full anyway
By Robert Fairhurst
This hotel is being built by a billionaire private investor. No political party, including Reform, would stop that. If a private company wants to invest in the town, this is a good sign for the future of St. Helens it should be welcomed.
By Anonymous
“August 30, 2025 at 7:41 pm By Anonymous”
I love the how you start with “The internet isn’t the sole reason for shops closing and a lack of shoppers”, before very neatly summarising exactly why the internet indeed “is” the reason for the high street’s demise!
Habits have changed and so must our town centres. Someone, trying to do something, should be supported
By Baffled
We dont want or need this in our town center
By Andrea Blake
Speak for yourself Andrea. I do. More jobs and investment for St Helens. Do you want it to stay derelict?
By Anonymous
Andrea Blake – who do you mean by “we” and why object to a private company building in the town centre? Your objection doesn’t make sense.
By Anonymous
Need something in the dirty old town to attract people to want to stay ! I see nothing but coffee shops and phone shops !
Who would want to stay in this rundown place !!! Defiantly no one I would know !
By Gillian Ford
Who will this hotel be aimed at? There isnt much going for St Helens to attract visitors.
St Helens does need investment and it
needs to be made more attractive for
people to want to go there. Its a bit scary at
times and needs better policing.
By Anonymous
We have a hotel in town with 1 being built opposite the new bus station….why do we need a third?!
By Anonymous
People need somewhere to stay, eat sleep drink in the town, this brings people in give your heads a wobble, we need more people in that makes it vibrant it’s down to the council to sort out the mess in the town centre don’t knock investment it’s the key to success!
By Anonymous
St Helens needs a proper town centre, with a vibrant shopping area, not hotels!
By Anonymous
Waste of money. Get the ahops sorted
By Anonymous