A Liverpool city region industrial development that could provide space for 300 jobs is set to be considered by planners in the next few weeks. Tony McDonough reports
Planners are set to consider fresh plans for a multi-million pound Liverpool city region industrial development that could provide 300 jobs.
Acting on behalf of developer Industrial North West, agents at B8 Real Estate are working with planners at St Helens Council to bring forward a 135,00 sq ft commercial unit at Haydock Green. They hope to start work on the scheme this year.
The first stage of the development, comprising a 373,000 sq ft unit, set new benchmarks for rent and values with the completed building being sold to Warrington Council in 2019 for £46.5m. It is occupied by healthcare services firm Movianto.
Located at the junction of the M6 and the East Lancs Rd , this well connected site is seen as one of the North West’s premier commercial locations. According to B8, it could be vital in helping the borough attract new blue-chip occupiers.
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A previous application for a similar sized building on this plot was approved in 2018, but B8 Real Estate believe the new plans will give St Helens the ideal unit in the perfect location.
The firm’s Jon Thorne said: “The existing planning consent is now almost four years old and the market has moved on since then in terms of the specification and unit configuration that occupiers now require, so a change to the planning is required to reflect an updated layout design and specification.
“This development will provide St Helens with a highly attractive site, in a prime location and something that is not currently available in the market. There is really strong demand in the industrial and logistics sector at the moment, but it’s all about the right offer in the right place and at the right time.”
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B8 reports that it has already had several potential new occupiers enquiring about the site’s availability and the timeline for delivery of the new unit. Mr Thorne added: “We believe that this is one of the prime sites in the North West for a building of this size.
“There is a previous consent on the site that has been through a full environmental assessment, so the development team are looking forward to working closely with the planners, to bring this project to the market as quickly as possible, and secure new jobs for St Helens.”