An opening date has been set for a food and drink hub that aims to change the landscape of a Merseyside town centre.
The Imperial Food and Drink Quarter, in St Helens, has been in the works for well over a year, facing delays on the venue's grand opening due to the pandemic and material delays. However the development, launched by entrepreneur Ian Pitts, now has a date for launch.
Mr Pitts, who owns other businesses in the town, such as the Imperial bar on Ormskirk Street, aims to bring a "much needed boost" to St Helens' nightlife economy.
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Things are set to kick off from 5pm on October 28, with a weekend of food, drink, and live music promised to customers. Local musicians Bradley Johnson and Jack Bennett will be among the attractions on opening weekend.
According to Mr Pitts, part of the ambition behind the quarter is to bring a "city centre feel" to St Helens, to tempt locals to stay in the town rather than jumping on the train to Liverpool or Manchester. The re-opening of Cork and Dough nearby will also provide a boost the leisure economy of the area.
Alongside the Imperial Quarter, the site of the former St Mary's car park in Chalon Way is set to become a shipping container food and drink park, along with an outside cinema and boutique retailers- benefitting from more than £1m investment pumped in by St Helens Council. These projects mark a turn in the culture of the town centre, as it moves towards a leisure economy, while large retailers now largely reside on retail parks outside the town centre.
The new venues, along with existing spots such as Imperial, aim to attract visitors and make them more inclined to socialise in St Helens, rather than travelling to nearby cities Liverpool and Manchester. The ECHO spoke to some shoppers for their views earlier in the year.
One said: "Imperial Quarter will either work or not. I think it'll be a great destination for people who are off into town, or going on a night out in a local city, or even as a pre-show meal for shows at the Theatre Royal or The Citadel. It's got great potential. We can't judge before it opens."
Another added: "I really hope it does well. We definitely need more things like this in St Helens. My only worry would be the lack of shops in St Helens. It’s nice to have a good shop then stop off for a drink/something to eat somewhere nice after, however, with nothing else to entice people into St Helens first (i.e. decent shops), I’m not sure how well it will do."
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