A second phase of public consultation on plans to regenerate a major St Helens brownfield site has been announced.
Cowley Hill Works, located off College Street, is one of the largest brownfield development opportunities in Merseyside. Following the emergence of new technologies and the consolidation of Pilkington’s activity at the Cowley Hill Works, 104 acres of the site is now surplus to operational requirements. The redundant, underused land, which is currently inaccessible to the general public, comprises mainly unused buildings, waste ground and old railway sidings.
Regeneration experts BXB Cowley Hill Ltd, a joint venture between Promenade Estates and BXB Ltd, first announced its plans to breathe new life into the site in July this year. A successful first phase of consultation took place during the summer, which resulted in 87% of respondents agreeing with the proposed regeneration ambitions.
A draft master plan for the site has been revealed as part of the next round of public consultation. It sets out how the site will deliver up to 1,250 new homes of mixed type and tenure, up to 4,850sqm of mixed use floor space, new areas of green infrastructure and public open space, sustainable drainage systems and vehicular access for highways. The demolition of remaining structures on site, together with ground remodelling, site remediation and ancillary works, will also form part of the planning application submitted to the council later this year.
The second phase of consultation asks residents to provide their feedback on the draft master plan ahead of an outline planning application being submitted later in the year. The draft master plan and corresponding technical information is available on a dedicated project website available at www.cowleyhillworks.co.uk.
Two public exhibitions are also scheduled to take place at The Mansion House in Victoria Park on Tuesday 29th October and Wednesday 30th October, between 3:30 and 7:30pm.
Promenade Estates chairman Peter Hynd, said:
“We were delighted with the public’s response to the first phase of consultation and now that we have been able to develop much more detail I a looking forward to their further views. the site offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide a significant number of new homes in St Helens on an under-used piece of land, with the attendant economic benefits that accompany such an investment.”
BXB Cowley Hill Ltd is working hand in hand with NSG Group to enable them to continue operating at the site and it is anticipated that the proceeds from the sale of the land will be utilised by NSG Group as part of its ongoing commitment to St Helens.
