Councillors will next week be asked to approve the huge 1.6m sq ft second phase of a Liverpool city region logistics and manufacturing development at a former colliery. Tony McDonough reports
Parkside Regeneration will find out next week if its bid for phase two of its giant logistics scheme at the former Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows is successful.
On Tuesday, February 3, councillors on St Helens Council’s planning committee will consider the proposal to build 1.6m sq ft of both logistics and manufacturing space. Planning officers are recommending approval.
In 2024 the council approved the £80m first phase which comprises 800,000 sq ft of logistics-only space. Parkside Regeneration, the joint venture comprising St Helens Council and developer Langtree, has almost completed site clearance work.
Parkside Colliery produced almost 1m tonnes of coal a year at its peak, employing around 2,000 people. The first coal was brought to the surface in 1964.
By the time of its closure in 1993, around 800 staff were employed. Employment forecasts for phase one of Parkside alone anticipate the creation of as many as 1,300 gross operational jobs.
This development benefits from being within the Liverpool City Region Freeport, offering tax advantages to companies that set up operations there. In June 2025 a new £60m link road was opened that will serve the complex, supported by £39m of Combined Authority funding.
Malcolm Jackson, chairman of Parkside Regeneration, said: “This is the larger of our two phases at Parkside and the application is the culmination of a great deal of hard work. St Helens Borough Council has played a pivotal role in shaping a high-quality scheme.
“Phase two, if approved, will see us continue with our focus on local supply chain engagement and the delivery of social value so that we maximise the positive impact of the development on the local and wider community.
“The joint venture has proven to be an effective vehicle through which we can push for and secure these gains in accordance with the St Helens Inclusive Growth Strategy and I want to thank the council for its support throughout.”
This application is a hybrid submission, seeking detailed consent for enabling and infrastructure works, with building designs to be dealt with under reserved matters.
Should this next application be approved, it is estimated Parkside’s second phase could add around £70m a year to the borough’s economic output.
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“A key gain for local people is the ability to access what has been a closed site for decades,” added Josh Downes, development director at Langtree.
“Our plans will open the site, providing around three and a half kilometres of walking and fitness trails, enhanced woodland features and high quality landscaping throughout. We’ll also be recognising the site’s coal mining heritage and its place in the English Civil War.”