Peel L&P and logistics developer PLP have submitted a planning application to reroute a major A road and improve motorway access to service a new £155m logistics hub. Tony McDonough reports

A major road in Merseyside will be re-routed and a new junction created to ease congestion as part of a £155m plan to create a manufacturing and logistics hub.

Peel L&P logistics developer PLP has amended its original a planning application to St Helens Council to build the development on land at Haydock Point, beside Junction 23 of the M6. It could lead to the creation of up to 2,500 jobs.

Located where the M6 meets the A580 East Lancashire Road and the A49 Lodge Lane, the junction is known locally for being busy at peak times and has been the subject of campaigns by local people concerned about safety.

Now Peel L&P is proposing to fund a scheme, to be delivered by PLP, to reroute the northern arm of the A49 Lodge Lane through the Haydock Point site to a new junction on the A580 East Lancashire Road.

The development would also contribute to improvements to Junction 23 itself. In total, the proposals would deliver £10m of privately funded investment into the highways network. Peel claims the project would:

• Reduce journey times by improving the flow of traffic.
• Improve safety by updating signalling, signage and priority use of the junction.
• Underpin economic growth by supporting key sectors, keeping lorries moving smoothly and creating new jobs and investment “for decades to come”.

Richard Knight, director of land and communities at Peel L&P said: “Our proposals for new manufacturing and logistics at Haydock Point are an opportunity to deliver £10m of private investment into vital improvements at Junction 23.

“We understand that equipping the junction to handle traffic more efficiently and safely is essential for the future prosperity and wellbeing of this area. The improvements will also facilitate a major economic investment in St Helens.”

Peel says the new logistics hub would generate £3.5m in extra business rates per year, of which £1.7m would be retained in St Helens under current retention levels. They also estimate it would contribute an extra £159m of GVA each year.