Watson Street masterplan reaches St Helens cabinet
More than 750 homes and 150,000 sq ft of commercial space are inching closer in the proposed redevelopment of Pilkington’s former glassworks.
On 19 March, St Helens Council’s cabinet will be asked to sign off the adoption of the Watson Street masterplan, which has been led by Broadway Malyan.
Cabinet will also be asked to endorse officers’ ongoing work with Pilkington, Homes England and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in bringing the masterplan – described by officers as a “strategically important windfall opportunity” – to fruition.
The Watson Street Works have been a St Helens mainstay for more than 200 years, supporting 7,000 families at its peak and establishing the town as a renowned glassmaking centre.
Production finally ceased at Watson Street in February 2024, with Pilkington owner NSG transferring all production and jobs to the adjacent Greengate Works.
The furnace, equipment and stock on site will be drawn down to achieve a vacant possession in April this year, at which point NSG will instigate site investigations as to how much remediation will be required to bring the site forward for other uses.
Extending to 30 acres of brownfield land on the southern edge of St Helens town centre, the council is looking to tie this site into ongoing regeneration efforts across the borough, most notably the town centre regeneration led by ECF.
Specifically, the Watson Street site now forms an integral part of the St Helens Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Campus, which is already home to the Glass Futures centre, SINA Medical Glass and Inovus Medical.
The site is also part of the LCR life sciences investment zone, being one of its three designated tax sites.
In all, the masterplan proposes 764 homes and 150,000 sq ft of commercial development.
On the table is residential development in the 20-acre western portion of a site that is bisected by an elevated railway line, with connections underneath. Development would be influenced by and connected to neighbouring residential developments at The Shires and Reflection Court.
The 7.5-acre eastern parcel is to be commercially-led, and sits close to the established Ravenhead Retail Park and St Helens Community Fire Station.
Access to this part of the site would be served via Milverny Way and Violet Way, which are reached from the Cannington roundabout at the intersection of the A58 Linkway East/ Linkway West.
In accordance with the LCR Life sciences investment prospectus, the commercial element of the proposed Masterplan aims to bring forward a life sciences development that has potential to employ more than 300 people, far exceeding the 70 people employed at the Watson Street Works in recent years, and would complement the council’s Project Halo proposals.
If approved, the masterplan would support future planning applications and be regarded as a material consideration in the assessment process for the redevelopment of the site as a mixed-use regeneration location for residential, ancillary retail and leisure and employment uses.
The land is allocated ‘white’ land and is therefore not safeguarded or allocated at present.
More housing yet no more schools, GP’s, hospitals. I haven’t seen any plans for the infrastructure to support all this house building.
By Anonymous