By Ellis Moore
Parkside Regeneration has welcomed planning approval for the second phase of the transformational redevelopment of the former Parkside Colliery site in Newton-le-Willows.
St Helens Borough Council’s planning committee has resolved to grant detailed consent for enabling and infrastructure works for Phase 2, which will allow development of a further 1.6 million square feet of logistics and manufacturing space. This is in addition to more than 800,000 square feet already consented for the scheme’s first phase.
The approval represents a significant milestone for the project, which sits within the Liverpool City Region Freeport and forms a core part of the region’s economic regeneration plans.
Manufacturing jobs boost
John Downes, executive chair of developer Langtree – one half of the project joint venture with St Helens Borough Council – said the Phase 2 consent will give added momentum to work on local supply chain engagement, labour recruitment and schools engagement.
“Phase two will give the project a different complexion, with the addition of manufacturing space,” he explained. “This will boost the variety, type and earnings potential of jobs on site and enable occupiers to tap into another facet of the area’s skills-base. St Helens, and Newton-le-Willows in particular, is a manufacturing heartland and the perfect place to bring advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs.”
The scheme’s second phase is expected to add around £70 million per annum to the borough’s economic output.
Heritage trails and green spaces
The planning consent includes detailed approval for an extended heritage trail across Parkside, with landscaped footpaths, signage and interpretive boards exploring the site’s history – notably the Battle of Red Bank and the site’s later role as a colliery.
New areas of woodland, grassland and wetland will be developed, including wildflower meadows, with signage providing a marked link into the site’s heritage trail from the neighbouring Newton Heritage Trail and Health Walk.
Amenity parkland will be created for workers and local residents, providing a substantial addition to the quantity of quality public open space in the area.
Local supply chain engagement
Work is already underway on Phase 1, with clearance works in progress. The first ‘meet the buyer’ event for local sub-contractors was held in autumn, with more than 80 interview sessions conducted for work relating to the forthcoming groundworks.
Almost 200 firms are registered with the project, with support provided to applicants regarding main contractors’ pre-qualification requirements. Any business still wishing to register can do so via https://parksidem6.com/local-suppliers/.
Cllr Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Regeneration at St Helens Borough Council, said: “The Parkside Regeneration is a truly transformational development that has been decades in the making and it will generate lasting opportunities for the people of Newton-le-Willows, St Helens Borough, and for the wider Liverpool City Region.
“The Phase 2 development shows a continued commitment to social value, ensuring residents and businesses in our Borough will directly benefit for generations to come, alongside the inclusion of measures to protect local communities and the environment.”
The new Parkside Link Road takes vehicles efficiently onto the national motorway network and to the port of Liverpool via Junction 22 of the M6 and via the M62. The site’s location within Liverpool City Region Freeport offers occupiers a wide range of tax benefits, of particular attraction to manufacturing companies with capital-intensive fit-out requirements.