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Councillors in St Helens have given a resounding thumbs up for the new Saints’ stadium which will take the rugby club and the town into an exciting new era.

Members of the Planning Committee endorsed the triple planning application granting permission subject to terms and conditions and a health and safety risk assessment.

The triple planning application is from developer Langtree, retailer Tesco and housebuilder Taylor Wimpey plc. The application, one of the biggest received by the Council, will bring a massive town centre regeneration.

It will transform the currently derelict 46-acre former United Glass site in St Helens into a £25-million 18,000 capacity stadium, with a mix of seating and standing, for St Helens Rugby League Club and a multi-million pound Tesco Extra.

The town’s current Tesco outlet on Chalon Way will then be redeveloped into alternative retail outlets, further regenerating the town centre.

As part of a separate plan, a high quality residential area will be built by Taylor Wimpey plc, replacing the historic Knowsley Road which has been Saints’ home for 116 years.

The application, lodged with the Authority last June, came in 18 boxes containing more than 100 individual documents, is one of the biggest application ever seen in the Borough.

Some documents were provided in paper while others were on CD and range from site location, site layout, elevational plans and landscaping proposals.

Others included environmental plans, transport, flood risk and noise assessments.

Since the date of submission there has been constant dialogue with the Club and developers, and assessment of the nature and content of the information submitted.

Site visits have also been carried out to appraise the proposals against development plans and national policy and have had to disseminate the responses received via the usual planning public consultation process.

Saints’ chairman Eamonn McManus comments: “This is wonderful news for the Club, its supporters and for the town of St Helens. I sincerely thank all at the Borough Council and MP Dave Watts for their invaluable work and help to date.

“We now look forward to a similar positive outcome from the Government Office for the North West and would urge all to continue with expressions of constructive support for a project so critical to the future of the Club and of the town.”

John Downes, managing director of Langtree says of the decision: “This is fantastic news, and is a vital step forward in our plans to transform the former United Glass site. Langtree is proud to be playing such an integral role in the development of a new stadium and in the regeneration of St Helens town. The planning application is the product of a lot of hard work over the last few years by everyone involved and the result will be a fantastic new development with the new Saints Stadium as its centrepiece.

“Whilst we still need to resolve the future of the Ancient Monument as the Council are requiring us to consolidate and repair it which is not viable for the development to support, the proposals will now go to the Government Office for the North West for their consideration and obviously we hope for a speedy positive result.”

St Helens Council Leader Brian Spencer adds: "The development will bring a range of benefits, not just to our own town but to the region in general, bringing massive investment and jobs. This has been 10 years in the making but I am sure everyone will agree that this will be a first class stadium fit for a world class club.”

David Rolinson, Planning Manager for the project says: “We couldn’t have received better news. We still need to resolve the future of the Ancient Monument, which at the moment the Council require us to enhance, but which is not viable for the scheme to support.

“We have put four years of hard work in order to get this scheme absolutely right and are very concerned about the Ancient Monument issue.

“However, this is an important day as together these developments are set to change the face of St Helens and continue to deliver its urban renaissance.”

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