Parkside first phase to open in June 2024
The 1m sq ft Newton-le-Willows industrial scheme could create around 1,300 jobs and contribute £80m a year to the St Helens economy once complete.
Project manager 4wrd Management and planner Spawforths are working with developer Parkside Regeneration to discharge pre-commencement conditions ahead of a start on site in early 2023.
The first phase of employment space is due to complete before the end of June 2024, and Parkside Regeneration, a joint venture between St Helens Council and developer Langtree, is already in talks with potential occupiers.
“We will be building speculatively because we know that there are occupier requirements in the market,” said John Downes, chief executive of Langtree and chairman of Parkside Regeneration.
“We want to be able to generate employment back on this site as soon as possible now that we have been given the green light. For me, Parkside has always been about jobs and regeneration and will be a game-changer for the local economy.”
Work to create a link road connecting the 230-acre site to J22 of the M6 motorway is already underway after Balfour Beatty was appointed to deliver the infrastructure project.
The road is seen as a key element to unlocking the full potential of the site. St Helens Council has secured £24m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund for the project.
“Not only is this project bringing a derelict piece of land back into use, but its economic benefits will also put our borough back on the map and create new jobs and employment opportunities for local residents,” said Cllr Richard McCauley, St Helens Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and planning.
“With so much happening now in the way of regeneration projects, these are exciting times for the borough. We promised sustainable inclusive growth with new jobs and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.”
Parkside was one of several North West schemes called in for government review in 2020, but the project was eventually approved.
Parkside Regeneration had pleaded with Whitehall to allow the 1m sq ft Green Belt scheme to go ahead and the Planning Inspectorate ruled in favour of the joint venture, citing regeneration benefits and the lack of an alternative site as key benefits of the scheme.
