Ports operator Peel Ports is teaming with Finsa UK to build a new £12m logistics development at Birkenhead Docks. Tony McDonough reports

A new £12m logistics facility is being built in Birkenhead Docks in a joint venture between Peel Ports and wood products manufacturer Finsa UK.

Finsa will centralise its UK operations on the 6.5-acre development, creating a new headquarters. It will be located at a new quayside terminal on the West Float, which it is hoped will encourage further investment.

The project will facilitate the next stage of business growth for Finsa UK. It will keep all the existing jobs in the area as well as generating many indirect jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for local young people.

Work is expected to start in the “very near future” and will take between two and three years to complete. The scheme, at West Float, is part of the £9m logistics park located within Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters development.

Sustainability will form a large part of the plans. Finsa UK is planning to put several environmental systems in place. These include using sustainable timber, reusing rainwater and electric machinery as opposed to diesel.

The agreement came off the back of a long-standing relationship between Peel Ports, operator of the Port of Liverpool and Finsa UK. The manufacturer has been a loyal partner of the port operator for more than 25 years.

Andrew Martin, group land and property Director at Peel Ports said: “Finsa UK has been a greatly valued customer of Peel Ports for more than three decades. We are thrilled to help support the next phase of their business growth at such an exciting time for the company.

“This project will create a contemporary, high-specification logistics space that will support their ambitious expansion plans and drive international investment in the local area.

Rafael Willisch, managing director at Finsa UK, added: “ We have been operating from Birkenhead Port for more than 30 years and this investment will secure our presence in Wirral for the future.

“We thank Peel Ports and Wirral Council for the support in the development of this project which will allow us to continue our growth, securing existing jobs and creating new ones.”