Delivery giant Yodel agrees deal to occupy a 161,900 sq ft warehouse in Liverpool city region and will create a an as yet unspecified number of new jobs. Tony McDonough reports
Yodel Delivery Network has agreed a 15-year lease on a 161,900 sq ft logistics warehouse on the site of a former colliery in Merseyside.
An as yet unspecified number of new jobs will be created when the facility opens in the first half of next year. This is the first phase of a wider project, called Symmetry Park. It will eventually see 1m sq ft of space created at the former Cronton Colliery.
Developer Tritax Symmetry has outline planning consent in place from Knowsley Council for a further 838,100 sq ft.
Symmetry Park is an important element of Knowsley Council’s Halsnead Garden Village project. This is the largest combined housing and employment development in the Liverpool city region. It includes around 1,600 new homes, more than 22.5 hectares of employment land, a new country park and other green spaces.
Cronton Colliery opened in 1916 and at its height employed more than 900 people and annually produced more than 350,000 tonnes of coal. Eight men were killed in 1917 during an explosion at the seam. It closed in 1984.
Designed by UMC, the Yodel facility is being built by GMI Construction Group. Yodel has taken the unit to further improve its distribution network across the North West region. The company has benefited from a huge surge in e-commerce.
Yodel chief executive Mike Hancox said: “This is a very exciting period for Yodel and the new depot is an important step in expanding the business, ensuring that we can be more dynamic and fit for purpose.
“We are happy to be bringing employment to the Merseyside area and are looking forward to welcoming new colleagues into the team.”
Yodel has yet to reveal how many jobs will be created at the new facility. However, Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “Symmetry Park will create a significant number of jobs once complete.”
Sarah Chicken, development surveyor at Tritax Symmetry, added: “This letting to Yodel is the successful result of a huge, collaborative effort from both the public and private sector.
“Working closely with Knowsley Council and securing funding from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has enabled us to bring this disused site back into use and generate further investment and jobs for the area.
“In terms of the wider activity at Symmetry Park, Merseyside, a reserved matters application has been submitted for approximately 350,000 sq ft across two units which we’ll be looking to deliver on site next year, focusing primarily on the spec unit of 230,000 sq ft.”
CBRE represented Yodel. Gerald Eve and Cushman & Wakefield are joint letting agents for the scheme.