Hilton to host in St Helens

St Helens Council, ECF, and Hilton Hotels have signed a franchise agreement to develop a 120-room Hilton hotel to become a cornerstone of St Helens town centre’s £100m regeneration.

The ECF, a public-private partnership between Homes England, Muse, and Legal & General, will deliver the project and aims to instil Hampton by Hilton as an anchor brand for St Helens town centre.

The hotel will be located off Bickerstaffe Street and will provide 96 guest rooms, eight accessible rooms, as well as 16 long-stay rooms.

Rising four floors, the hotel will have a gym and ground floor meeting rooms to hire.

The hotel’s development is still subject to planning consent, set to be determined this autumn.

Should the process go as scheduled, spades could be in the ground by next year to clear the existing site before construction can start. The target for completion is 2027.

Hampton by Hilton St Helens represents one part of the first phase of the wider St Helens regeneration.

At the foot of the hotel will be a mixed-use area which will include 64 homes, the construction of a market hall, and 11,000 sq ft of retail space.

The now-disused Hardshaw Centre shopping area will form the footprint for these developments.

The brownfield site sits opposite the proposed St Helens Interchange site, which has recently received £32m in funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to allow plans to progress.

A landscaped public realm would tie the phase together, delivering a sustainable and attractive public square.

St Helens interchange, itself a £43m project, will be a catalyst for change in St Helens, connecting the town more efficiently with other economic hubs around the region.

Cllr Anthony Burns, Leader of St Helens Council, said: “We have strong ambitions for the future and the Hampton by Hilton brand fits perfectly into our vision.

“A new high-quality hotel brand offering will help St Helens to retain, grow, and attract businesses and boost our visitor economy.”

He continued: “This is all part of a journey we are on to provide opportunities for people to live, work, visit, stay, and invest in our fantastic borough.

“It is also a further endorsement of our transformation strategy with Hilton having the confidence to associate its trusted brand with a return to the town centre after a lengthy absence.”

Graham Dodd, managing director of development in the UK at Hilton, said: “Hampton by Hilton St Helens will provide an ideal base for the growing number of business travellers visiting the local area, and we look forward to being part of the council’s vision to create a thriving new town centre development.”

Matt Whiteley, senior development manager at the ECF, added: “The agreement with Hilton is a very welcome endorsement of the place-led regeneration ECF and St Helens Council are delivering now.

“The commitment of Hilton, a global hospitality company, is another step forward towards our goal of long-term and sustainable transformation of a town centre, making it more attractive for local people and visitors alike.”

The St Helens Manufacturing and Innovation Campus is a key part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Life Sciences Investment Zone. The campus has the potential to deliver £800m of public and private investment, creating 8,000 jobs across the region.

Hampton by Hilton will aim to capitalise on business travellers who begin to use the Manufacturing and Innovation Campus more regularly as it expands.