Runcorn High Street redevelopment: Shops and historic air raid shelters set for demolition

A row of shops and the former air raid shelter could be flattened to make way for improvements to the Brindley Theater site.

Plans have been submitted to bulldoze four ground floor commercial units and upstairs accommodation at 1-4 High Street in Runcorn.

The proposals also include demolishing a neighboring derelict building – a former air raid shelter – behind or St Paul’s Mews in the Old Town.

The demolition plans are part of a wider scheme to redevelop Brindley Green and the Brindley Theater itself. The £5.6m works planned for the theater include a new extension with a large café-restaurant, with the existing glass entrance being demolished as part of the refurbishment work.

Runcorn Library will also be relocated and integrated into the new Brindley building. As well as work on the current structure, just under £1 million has also been allocated to transform Brindley Green into a new civic space for hosting pop-up events. Work is expected to begin this summer.

If given the go-ahead, demolition work would begin on July 27 and be completed by August 23.

The council’s executive management board approved the purchase of St Paul’s Mews in March 2022, with the money coming from its capital budget – money earmarked for infrastructure projects.

A planning application submitted online said: ‘St Paul’s Mews and outbuilding are to be demolished to allow for the redevelopment of the open space adjacent to the Brindley Theater and improvements to the High Street.

“The demolition method is to be by car in a controlled environment.”

The Brindley scheme is one of eight projects that form part of the Reconnecting Runcorn series of works. The Reconnecting Runcorn cash comes from a larger pot of £23.6m provided through the Town Government Deal and is aimed at transforming Runcorn Town Centre.