Prescot Shopping Centre: Date set for start of Merseyside town's transformation as landmark torn down

The retail site in Prescot town centre will undergo significant change after local councillors agreed on plans to make the site ready for future development.

Knowsley Council completed the purchase of Prescot Shopping Centre in a £1.3m deal back in 2022 including several nearby units and the car park. The town has been undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years, with the opening of the Shakespeare North Playhouse seen as a major boon, but this represented just one part of the wider Prescot Town Centre Masterplan.

Prescot Shopping Centre occupies a prime position in the town centre and is a key element of Knowsley Council’s plans to “revitalise” the area. Since acquiring the shopping centre, Knowsley Council has invested in lift repairs to improve accessibility and has welcomed new tenants including FACE, the Banking Hub and Mercutio’s Bar and Restaurant on Eccleston Street.

In October 2024, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet approved the recommendation for the council to enter into an Exclusivity Agreement with Cityheart, as a preferred developer for Prescot Shopping Centre.

Knowsley Council said they are working with Cityheart to develop proposals for the site, which will support ‘the continued regeneration and transformation of Prescot town centre’ and delivery of the local authority’s Masterplan.

The latest stage in the development of Prescot Shopping Centre will start on Monday March 3 when the former Stephenson Print Building will be torn down. Although the building is a well known landmark, it has laid empty for a number of years and will be replaced inline with the regeneration project for the site.

Following the completion of this phase the site of the former supermarket on the lower level – empty for the last 18 years – and the former Home Bargains store on the first floor will also be demolished. The wider Shopping Centre and library will remain open during the works which is expected to be completed by late autumn.

Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development said: “The demolition works are an important part of the council’s plans to transform Prescot Shopping Centre.

“Our ambition is to develop this space into a vibrant, busy and well used area, to complement the rest of the town centre. The demolition of these buildings will make this space much more attractive for future development.”