Spades in for £42m Atlantic Park phase two
Royal London Asset Management Property and main contractor Winvic Construction have officially commenced construction on the 420,000 sq ft Bootle industrial scheme, which is set to complete next summer.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Monday to celebrate the start on the £42m project, which will see the building of three sheds ranging in size from 53,750 sq ft to 216,000 sq ft.
The industrial units will be built to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent and a EPC score of A. They will each feature two-storey offices, EV charging bays, and large service yards.
To bolster the biodiversity in the area, Royal London and Winvic are installing a series of bird, bat, and insect boxes.
Atlantic Park is being built on the 52-acre former Rolls Royce Engineering Works site in Bootle. The estate is part of the Port of Liverpool Freeport and close to the M57 and M58.
Its 350,000 sq ft first phase wrapped in June and represented a £36m investment. It comprises four warehouses of between 43,000 sq ft and 134,000 sq ft. B8 Real Estate and Savills are the joint agents for this part of the Atlantic Park project.
When this second phase completes, Atlantic Park will have around 800,000 sq ft of industrial buildings.
“We are excited to reach the next milestone on Atlantic Park,” said Mark Evans, head of property and commercial development at Royal London Asset Management.
“This site has huge potential, and we are proud to be unlocking it with a development that is built for the future—strategically located, sustainably designed, and ready to support the next generation of logistics and manufacturing businesses,” he added.
Royal London predicts that the project will lead to a £62.9m annual boost to the Liverpool City Region economy, with £1.2m in annual business rates due to Sefton Council.
Royal London Asset Management and Winvic, alongside Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. Credit: Rob Macmichael, Harpoon TV
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, who was present at the ground-breaking ceremony, praised the Atlantic Park scheme.
“Atlantic Park is a brilliant example of the kind of ambitious, forward-looking development we want to see more of in our region,” he said.
“It’s breathing new life into a historic site and helping us build the kind of economy that works for everyone—fairer, greener, and better connected.”
Rotheram continued: “With its location in the Liverpool Freeport zone, this project is opening doors to global markets and creating genuine opportunities for local people. It’s exactly the kind of investment that shows the Liverpool City Region is serious about growth, jobs, and innovation, and I’m proud to see it taking shape right here in Bootle.”
If replacing high-end, highly-skilled engineering jobs with yet more big box distribution sheds housing low-paid agency workers on short-term contracts is “ambitious forward-looking development” then perhaps PNW could ask Mayor Steve what he thinks “clutching at straws” and “fiddling while Rome burns” might mean in the context of economic development?
Not even green or better-connected given all the new lorries will be going on the notoriously congestested and polluted route from the docks we are now stuck with because Sefton Council actively opposed the new link road from the Seaforth to Switch Island, the Labour Government pulled the funding, and Steve and LCRCA said nothing at all. Also a modern office block and the refurbed Rolls Royce factory bulldozed for this because the last attempt and regeneration didn’t work, doubtless ignored in the BREAM assessment.
Still, as long as there’s a Bob the Builder photo op to get Steve out the office for a bit…
By Stanley Toad