Phase one of Parkside Colliery regeneration to create 1300 St Helens jobs

The firm behind the proposed regeneration of the redundant Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, could help create over a thousand jobs in the project’s first phase.

Parkside Regeneration, a joint venture between developer Langtree and St Helens Council, has confirmed it is submitting plans for phase one of the scheme today (January 16).

The application incorporates just over 1 million sq ft of new employment space, which could lead to the creation of more than 1,300 new jobs.

Once the site is fully operational, occupiers are forecast to generate as much as £80m per year in economic activity and pay £2.2m in business rates annually to St. Helens Council.

The application also proposes a number of junction improvements on the nearby A49 road.

The JV said it has made several changes to its original plans following a public consultation exercise last year.

Langtree group managing director John Downes, chairman of Parkside Regeneration, said: “The demand for logistics and manufacturing space continues to be very strong and our proposals meet a clear need in the market.

“We are keen to ensure that our investment benefits the local community as much as possible and have put in place arrangements with the Northern Logistics Academy and St Helens Chamber of Commerce to maximise the number of training opportunities for local people and to ensure robust engagement with a local supply chain.”

Among the amendments suggested during the public consultation was the creation of a new link road in to the site from junction 22 of the M6.

Mr Downes continued: “We are very supportive of the proposals for the new link road as it will take pressure off Winwick and the A49 and address air pollution and congestion throughout the area.

“During the council’s consultation on its plans our professional team has made sure that the council is fully aware of how the proposed new road can best contribute to the wider Parkside Regeneration proposals and address any local community issues.”

The Leader of St Helens Council, Cllr Barrie Grunewald, said of the final plans: “The submission of a planning application is a key milestone in the joint venture’s ambitions for Parkside.

“It will show us the nature and scale of the opportunity before us to deal with long-term, generational unemployment in St Helens and bring a redundant, brownfield site back in to productive use.”

At present, no date is set for the planning application to be heard, but Parkside Regeneration said a decision is likely in the summer.