23 April 2012
St Thomas's Square - it's time to stop the grot
That's the message from St Helens Green Party as the prime town centre location remains an eyesore and an "embarrassment to the town".
Around 15 years since families were moved out and flats demolished, the derelict site appears no nearer development. Plans for a new £30million leisure venue, including a Travelodge hotel and ten-pin bowling alley, seems to have stalled and St Helens Greens say it's time for a plan B.
St Helens Green Party deputy chair, Francis Williams, says:
"The site is an embarrassment to the town, and a monument to the ineptitude and neglect shown by successive council administrations.
"It's time to admit that the West Point scheme has gone west and get on with the job of sorting out the mess - and the people responsible for the mess should step aside and make way for people who want to make a difference and stand up for St Helens."
The Linkway site is presently owned by Nottinghamshire-based Grantmaster Developments, whose deal with ten-pin bowling operator Essenden has already fallen through. And while Travelodge looks set to open in Wigan town centre, there has been no word of a similar investment in St Helens.
Town centre Green Party candidate, Freda Brodie adds:
"We need to get more people into St Helens town centre, but eyesores like St Thomas's Square are turning people away.
"A Green St Helens Council would look to bring the land back into community use, perhaps as a park with allotments close to the town centre so that shoppers could come and buy direct from allotment holders.
"We could try to connect St Thomas's Square with another eyesore - the former Tesco site. The canal there and the old brook which was buried beneath the development could be revived to make another attractive green space close to the town centre. It could even host live events.
"We're open to ideas and we'd like people who care about St Helens town centre to email their ideas to sthelensgreenparty@gmail.com, tell us on Twitter or find us on Facebook."
Candidates Karen Atherton, David Hughes, David Parr, Andy Donelly and Francis Williams get ready to Stop the Grot left by Labour
St Helens Green Party RSS Feed