Omega West completes with final £28m shed
McLaren Construction Midlands and North has handed over the last warehouse in Miller Developments’ industrial park – a scheme that has persevered through public inquiries and Green Belt debates.
Omega West comprises 184 acres off Junction 8 of the M62. The land had largely been allocated as Green Belt, but was swapped to employment use in St Helens Council’s local plan. This had led to a call-in for the industrial project by the secretary of state, who ultimately ruled in favour of it in 2021.
Omega West has been developed in four phases, with McLaren as the lead contractor for the entirety of the project. The first two warehouses to complete comprised 870,000 sq ft and 505,000 sq ft and are let to Home Bargains and Iceland, respectively. The third shed is 308,000 sq ft.
This final building comes in a 421,200 sq ft and had a construction cost of £28m. It was forward-funded by Indurent, a property developer owned by Blackstone. The company has lended the warehouse its name as well.
“The successful completion of Indurent 420, Omega West marks a significant milestone for Indurent, as we continue to deliver future-ready logistics space in strategic locations across the UK,” said Dan Austin, director and head of the Northern logistics team at Indurent.
“Omega West has been a flagship project for us, combining technical excellence, sustainable design, and genuine community value, and we’re proud to see this vision come to life.”
Indurent 420 comprises a two-storey main office, warehouse space, and a hub office. Its sustainability credentials include a BREEAM score of Excellent and an EPC rating of A+. To cut down on energy use, it includes natural roof lighting and solar panels.
In addition to the physical structure, there is also a car park and extensive landscaping, including a wildflower meadow.
Sustainability played a factor in construction as well. The site plant and machinery operated on alternative fuels. Waste was tracked and managed using the Smartwaste platform. All excavated cohesive materials were reused.
McLaren also touted its social value contributions throughout the project. These included donating timber offcuts and surplus pallets to community groups, participating in career events, prioritising local suppliers, providing work experience, and hiring a senior site manager from the area.
The contractor sponsored Woolton Santos U9 football team and donated laptops to Martin Murray’s local boxing academy as well.
McLaren also pointed out that it had more than 750 personnel on site, with more than 139,299 hours delivered without a reportable incident.
“We’re very proud to have marked the completion of Indurent 420, Omega West with our partners and stakeholders on site,” said Gary Cramp, managing director for McLaren Construction Midlands and North.
“This development continues McLaren’s strong legacy at Omega and reflects the power of collaboration, sustainability, and a commitment to delivering high-performance logistics infrastructure.”
Miller Developments managing director David Milloy praised the contractor for its work.
“McLaren has once again delivered a best-in-class development, and we thank the team for their professionalism, collaboration, and shared ambition,” he said.
The shed was designed by Chetwood Architects. PlaceOnEarth was the landscape architect. During the planning process, the project team included Quod, Ian Murrant, DSSR, The Ecology Practice, and WSP.
You can see the original plans for Indurent 420 by searching application reference number P/2023/0189/RES on St Helens Council’s planning portal.
