Work on the first 800,000 sq ft of a 2.4m sq ft Liverpool city region logistics and manufacturing development begins, with phase one costing £80m. Tony McDonough reports
Work has started on phase one of the huge Parkside regeneration project in Newton-le-Willows that will eventually comprise 2.4m sq ft of logistics and manufacturing space.
Located at the the site of the former Parkside Colliery close to St Helens, the first phase of the scheme will cost £80m and will provide 800,000 sq ft of logistics space across three units.
In February this year councillors in St Helens gave the green light to phase two of the scheme, comprising 1.6m sq ft of logistics and manufacturing space. Parkside Regeneration is a joint venture between St Helens Council and Langtree.
It has appointed contractor JF Hunt to deliver a £15m package of enabling works for phase one. This includes the design, construction, validation, completion and defect rectification of site clearance works.
Among the commitments made by JF Hunt as part of the contract are a range of school and college workshops, work placements and youth apprenticeships, and a commitment to a minimum of 20% of workers being recruited from specified local postcodes.
In addition, businesses that attended a ‘meet the buyer’ event at the Brewdog Stadium in October 2025, will be invited to tender for relevant work packages. The company says it expects up to 25% of its external spend will be with local contractors.
John Downes, executive chair of Langtree, said: “We’re at the business end of things now. This is where we deliver on our commitment to the community that we’ll bring high quality jobs to the area and create real opportunities for local people.
“It’s the culmination of many years’ hard work and great credit is due to everyone involved. We’ve kept the local community abreast of what we’re doing throughout, and will continue to do so.”
Following completion of the enabling works programme construction of the three consented logistics units will start following a competitive tender process to appoint a main works contractor.
A new £60m link road, joining the site to Junction 22 of the M6 motorway, was opened in May 2025.
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.
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Councillor Kate Groucutt, deputy leader and Cabinet Member for Business & Inclusive Growth at St Helens Council, added: “Development of the Liverpool City Region Freeport site at Parkside will create long term benefits for our local economy and will bring thousands of new jobs and new opportunities for our residents.”