Work starts on £15m St Helens industrial

Main contractor Barnfield Construction has begun enabling works for the 135,000 sq ft warehouse at Haydock Green, situated on six acres by Junction 23 of the M6.

The £15m unit is the product of a joint venture between Barnfield and Morley Estates. The duo expects the project to complete next spring and is already in talks with potential blue-chip tenants.

Planning permission for the £15m industrial unit was granted to a joint venture comprising Morley Estates and Barnfield in 2022. The construction start has been enabled through a multi-million-pound loan to the duo from lender Together.

“This will be the best mid-size distribution centre in the North West and is a unique and rare opportunity because of its visibility from the motorway and the East Lancashire Road,” said Oliver Morley, owner of Morley Estates.

“I’m delighted that work is now starting on this state-of-the-art high-tech manufacturing and distribution facility with incredibly high-spec offices in a prime and central location next to the M6.”

He acknowledged the delay between permission being granted and work starting. He explained: “I have been sat on my hands for the past few years because of competition in the market, and the lack of ability to achieve commercially sensible funding to generate a decent profit, because of the froth in the market.”

Morley went on to add that the warehouse had the potential to create 300 to 400 jobs.

The facility is the second of three phases of work proposed for the Haydock Green industrial park.

A 380,000 sq ft warehouse comprised the first phase. It was acquired by Warrington Council soon after completion in 2019 and has since been sold to Clarion Capital Partners for £51m.

A five-acre plot is the subject of the third phase, which would host a warehouse and five-storey self-storage block.

Barnfield chairman Tim Webber stated that the firm was familiar with the Haydock Green site, having built that first phase unit years before.

“Our team is familiar with the site and is currently delivering infrastructure works to the development,” Webber said. “We will be working with local sub-contractors to bring this vibrant development to fruition.”

Webber added: “Building quality industrial and commercial units is our expertise here at Barnfield and we are committed to providing long-term value, collaborative working, and strong relationships with our clients and partners.

“Haydock Green is a perfect example of this, and we are pleased to continue our partnership with Morley Estates and Together. Haydock Green is already one of the most high-profile sites in the region and the new speculative unit is another great addition to an already thriving site.”

Together chief executive of sales and distribution Marc Goldberg explained why his company had opted to help finance the project, acknowledging that Morley has been a long-standing client.

“We’ve been really impressed with the effort to bring to life the next phase of development at Haydock Green, which will provide an economic boost to the area,” he said.

“It will be a striking industrial complex at one of the North West’s premier commercial locations, which is why we’re not surprised to hear it had already generated interest from major companies even before the build started.”

B8 Real Estate is the agent for Haydock Green.

Plans for the warehouse can be seen by searching reference number P/2022/0483/FUL on St Helens Council’s planning portal. The project team includes Roman Summer Associates, Martin Spencer Architecture, Ecology Services, Enzygo, Highways Advice, Square Yard, Wardell Armstrong, Edge, and Betts Associates.