£80m first phase of Parkside goes in for planning

St Helens Council and developer Langtree are aiming to issue tender notices by the end of the year for the building of three units totalling 793,200 sq ft – providing planning permission is secured.

Parkside Regeneration, the name of the Langtree and St Helens Council joint venture, has submitted a reserved matters application for the first phase of the 505-acre Green Belt industrial complex on the site of the former Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows. Outline consent for the wider Parkside scheme was granted in November 2021 by the secretary of state.

This first phase has an estimated construction cost of £80m.

The reserved matters application, which has yet to appear on St Helens Council’s planning portal, calls for the building of a 367,700 sq ft shed, a 227,400 sq ft one, and a 198,100 sq ft unit. While most of the space in these warehouses will be designated for industrial purposes, 10% will be allocated for offices.

The inclusion and upgrade of the office provision was a natural shift given the current market, according to Langtree group chief executive John Downes.

“Major occupiers are increasingly putting head-office functions in key distribution hubs, and we recognise the importance of the office areas as places for people, and the relevance of building design to facilitate health, wellbeing, and productivity,” Downes explained.

“We have therefore reflected this by upgrading our office specifications within each building, as well as the façade treatments that go with them.  It will mean a wider range of jobs available for local people, with higher salaries and different career paths, too.”

Fletcher Rae is the architect behind the proposals, which were submitted by planning consultant Spawforths. The project manager is 4Ward, while Curtins is the transport consultant. TPM Landscape is the landscape architect.

If all goes according to Parkside Regeneration’s plans, the application will be considered at St Helens Council’s September planning committee meeting.

A heritage trail is one of the landscape elements proposed at Parkside. Credit: via Merrion Strategy

Cllr David Baines, Leader of St Helens Council, said he was confident that residents would approve of the Parkside project.

“Parkside will be a high-quality development that will enhance the area, provide a positive setting for businesses to locate to and ensure environmental net gain,” Baines said.

“Being part of the Liverpool City Region Freeport will bring additional benefits for businesses right across the borough and beyond, creating prosperity and tangible benefits for our residents in the form of good quality jobs and the increased opportunities that a growing economy brings,” he continued.

In addition to providing new jobs, the Parkside project is hoping to use a local supply chain as much as possible, Baines said.

It gets no more local than the site next door. A second application is due to be lodged soon to take excess material from the site of the second phase of Parkside and bring it to the first phase’s plot. This will be used to help craft the landscape proposals.

“It’s a ‘quick win’ that means we utilise surplus material from the site and realise far fewer truck movements on local roads,” explained John Downes.

The attempt to lower truck movements fits in with the scheme’s goal to be energy efficient and to achieve what Baines described as the “highest possible environmental credentials”.

This strive for environmental excellence was cited as one of the reasons for the delay between the November 2021 approval and the submission this month for reserved matters approval.

Downes said: “It’s been worth the hard work because what we are proposing far exceeds anything I’ve seen in the logistics arena. Every detail, from energy efficiency and supply, to landscaping, site layout, and lighting has been carefully thought-through so that potential occupiers can be satisfied that they are bringing their brand to a suitable home.”

Cllr Kate Groucutt, cabinet member for economy, business, and skills at St Helens Council, focused on the project’s potential for social value delivery.

“Developments of this scale are quite rare and, by identifying every point at which we can engage with local people, community groups, schools, and businesses, we can extend the impact of the investment, and in multiple ways,” she said.

“There’s a team focused on this and they’ll remain so for the life of the project.”

The second phase of Parkside could include up to 1.6m sq ft of industrial space, according to an environmental scoping request submitted last year to the local authority.