St.Helens The Heart of the North West

St.Helens Council is launching a major land and employment study that will help to shape the Borough’s economic development and planning policy over the next decade and beyond.

The study is one of the most wide-ranging pieces of research ever to be carried out in St.Helens and will have a twin focus.

One element is to review the quality and availability of sites and premises, together with the projected future demand and supply of land for employment purposes, which will inform the Council's Local Development Framework.

Linked to this, the study will also look at overall employment needs in the Borough, in terms of the possible future skills and workforce requirements of local businesses in the face of market changes.  

These will all be tested according to various growth scenarios, linked to the St Helens City Growth Strategy, the private sector-led regeneration plan for ‘St.Helens plc’ currently being revised, and the various major regeneration projects it contains.

The Council has appointed specialist economic development and regeneration consultants Regeneris Consulting, along with Specialist Property Development Consultants’ Vernon & Co to carry out the research, which will also help the Borough to maximise the benefits of the St.Helens Local Enterprise Growth Initiative a ten-yearprogramme working to stimulate enterprise, encourage the growth of local businesses, and attract inward investment.

Councillor Richard Ferry, St.Helens Council's Executive Member for Urban Regeneration says: "This is a very important study for St.Helens.  It will enable us to build an accurate and comprehensive picture of land supply and employment needs in the Borough, both now and in the future, so that we can tailor our economic development and planning policies accordingly to maximise benefits and opportunities for local people and businesses."

Darren Wisher, Director of Regeneris Consulting adds: "Taking a long term perspective on both land and skills requirements is essential in good economic planning. The study will provide the type of accurate, long term intelligence on which local authorities increasingly rely".