Location

St Helens is a town in Merseyside, North West England. You’ll find it 12 miles east of Liverpool, and 23 miles west of Manchester’s city centre.

House prices in the area are lower than the national average, and lower than the North West average too. There are bargains to be had. It’s home to lots of working tenants, and ROI is healthy. With significant amounts of money being pumped into St Helens right now, it’s a great place to snap up properties more affordable than those available in nearby cities.

Demographic

St Helens has a population just above 180,000. Traditionally, it’s a hard-working industry town, that grew as a result of coal mining and the industrial revolution. It’s also the birthplace of Pilkington Glass. Today though, St Helens is probably best known as the home of Saints Rugby League Football Club.

A sporting town

As rugby league fans, we travel to St Helens often, and see just how bustling the town is on match days. St Helens RFC is a world-famous team, that attracts large crowds. The stadium is regularly used for other large events too, even out of season. Fantastic for the area’s hospitality sector, for creating jobs and, of course, for investors.

Investment in infrastructure

If the powers-that-be are investing in an area, it’s a good sign that property prices are set to rise. St Helens is benefitting from significant amounts of investment right now. Crucially, prices are still low in relation to surrounding areas, so this is a great time to get in on the action.

In 2022, a £134million pound scheme of works was put forward for the redevelopment of St Helens town centre. In 2024, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority earmarked £50m grant funding to deliver sustainable travel infrastructure, housing growth and town centre regeneration plans. As we write this, in April 2025, work is well and truly underway.

Transport links

The town is well-connected by road and rail to the nearby cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Airports in both of those cities can be reached by car in 30-40 minutes respectively.

Transport links within St Helens are good, thanks to a total of five railway stations, plus easy access to the M62. And there’s investment money being spent in this area too:

• The town’s Lea Green Railway Station will reopen soon, following a £10m upgrade
• Plans were recently submitted for a new transport interchange in St Helens town centre
• A new link road, that will serve a major mixed-use development north of the town centre, just received sign off

Employment

The NHS is one of St Helens’ largest employers. St Helens Hospital and Whiston Hospital both contribute to the economy with lots of jobs. In addition, glass producer Pilkington has been based in the town for over 200 years. In 2023, the multi-national brand invested heavily in the future of its UK operations, with St Helens at the heart of those plans. And Glass Futures, a global hub of innovation in the glass industry, has been drawing international attention since opening, in St Helens, in 2023.

The retail, hospitality and construction sectors make up a large proportion of remaining local employment options. National retailer Home Bargain has invested over £300m in a new distribution centre, which opened this year at Omega Business Park, bringing 850 jobs. 

Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington and Wigan are all within easy commuting distance, thanks to regular trains and excellent motorway connectivity.

Homesure’s connection to the area

If you’d like to know more about St Helens, ask us. We’ve been invested in the area for a long time, we support other landlords who own property in the town, and several members of our team grew up in the area. It’s firmly on our patch. If you’re looking for a St Helens property expert, you’ll find one or two of them here.