This culminated with Knowsley council deciding to step in after developers refused to say when construction would start. Council leader Graham Morgan said in a statement reported by the Liverpool Echo "despite our best efforts, the redevelopment of the town centre still hasn't happened and it's quite clear that we need to find a different model. The people of Kirkby deserve more than this. We have worked closely to encourage St. Modwen to push on with their plans but, despite major names already being signed up, they remain extremely cautious and have still not confirmed a start date. We have waited too long and it's time to move on.”