More buildings in a Merseyside town are set to be demolished as part of plans to build a long-delayed new centre.
Work to bring down the former St Chad's clinic in Kirkby will begin this week, with construction also set to start on a temporary car park in the town.
Knowsley Council's cabinet approved plans to buy the town centre from private developer St Modwen earlier this year in a move to kickstart regeneration in the town.
Kirkby residents have long complained that a series of delayed and cancelled projects for the town centre have left them without close access to basic amenities and needing to travel to other areas to go to a supermarket.
A statement on a council-run website says the demolition of St Chad's will likely take between six and eight weeks, with the aim of completing the temporary car park by Christmas.
Council leader Graham Morgan said both moves were a 'key step foward' in transforming the town.
He said: “I know that there is a need for more car parking to support Kirkby Market and this will be provided at the site on St Chad’s Drive.
“The council is committed to delivering the retail development in the town centre and the scheme that St Modwen promised. This is our key priority. I look forward to providing more updates over the coming weeks as work progresses.”
Work is also set to begin later this autumn demolishing the Royal Naval Association Club building on nearby Cherryfield Drive.
After the move to purchase the town centre was approved in July, councillor Morgan confirmed that the council would look to closely follow St Modwen's plans for the site, which includes a new supermarket and cinema.
Those plans have already received permission from the local authority, and councillor Morgan said using them would enable the council to get work started on the project as soon as possible.
The move to buy the town came after St Modwen failed to name a start date for construction on the new town centre despite having secured planning permission.
At the time of the purchase council chief executive Mike Harden said a key difference between St Modwen and the council was that the local authority had only to break even for the project to be considered a financial success, whereas St Modwen would have to be confident of earning a profit.
Knowsley Council have so far refused to reveal the amount they are paying St Modwen for the town centre for commercial reasons while the sale is completed.
However leaders have pledged to release details of the deal afterwards and have promised it is 'justifiable and affordable'.
