Peel Land takes another run at Haydock Point

Aiming to submit plans for 1.3m sq ft of industrial floorspace later this year, the developer has opened a consultation for the project.

Along with employment, Peel said that critical highways improvements at Junction 23 of the M6 would form a major part of the plans.

Located north east of the M6 J23 Haydock Island, south of Haydock Park Racecourse, the site is billed as a strategic employment site by Peel, which said it could “create a modern, high-quality, leading-edge manufacturing and employment campus” should St Helens Council approve.

The plans provide for a multi-fuel HGV hub to help address HGV parking issues and a lack of quality facilities for drivers in the area. The proposal will also include landscaping and wildlife areas, more than 600 new trees, and new walking, running and recreational trails.

Peel and the PLP logistics business in which it is a partner had put forward plans at Haydock Point in 2017, but St Helens did not deliver a verdict within three years, leading the scheme’s promoters to lodge an appeal with the secretary of state.

With the council having finally made a decision of sorts – voting against officer recommendation, committee said they would hve been minded to refuse – a verdict was finally handed down in November 2021, with the scheme nixed on Green Belt grounds.

However, the site was subsequently removed from the Green Belt and safeguarded for future employment development in the St Helens local plan, adopted in 2022.

Stephen Wild, managing director of Peel Land Group, said: “Haydock Point will bring long-lasting benefits for the St Helens community. The need and demand are here now to bring forward a modern sustainable employment campus that can meet the requirements of growing local firms and major occupiers.

“As part of the project we will close the northern arm of the A49, diverting that route through our site to the A580 East Lancashire Road, to address long-standing highways capacity at M6 Junction 23 Haydock Island and improve journey times for all. Our HGV hub will help tackle a known problem locally whilst the extensive landscaping and greenspace proposals will provide a parkland setting for development.”

Wild added that a social value plan is also in development, creating pathways to employment through partnerships with schools, colleges and job centres.

Peel said that Haydock Point is expected to create 1,845 on-site jobs across manufacturing, industrial, logistics and commercial roles.

Consultation is now live, and runs until Sunday 13 September 2026. A public drop-in event will take place on Wednesday 2 September at the Mercure Hotel, Haydock, from 3pm to 7pm.

• View the consultation here