Peel plans automotive park at Wirral Waters
THE Peel Group is planning to develop a manufacturing park for motor and rail industry suppliers at Wirral Waters.
It has earmarked a 35-acre former Mobil oil storage site on the West Float part of the £4.5bn regeneration of Birkenhead Docks.
Peel hopes to attract suppliers of Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors, which produce cars at Halewood and Ellesmere Port, as well as Bentley in Crewe and Toyota on Deeside.
Overseas investors will be lured to the site by the area’s qualification for enhanced capital allowances – one of six zones in the country, and the only one in the North West.
This will give investors relief on capital expenditure in an area already free of business rates due to its enterprise zone status.
The site on Beaufort Road is next to the planned International Trade Centre where a £3.8m land remediation project should conclude at the end of the month.
Peel’s project director Richard Mawdsley said: “We’re going to launch that site [the automotive park] in four weeks’ time, we’re already talking to organisations about it.
“It will be geared towards the automotive industry and rail rolling stock. Train operating companies need to replace their rolling stock which could be shipped in and assembled here.”
Wirral Council leader Phil Davies said: “Whilst we haven’t got a deal sealed we do have significant interest from the likes of General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover about developing something like this on their doorstep. From their point of view there’s a good business case.”
The car industry is keen to improve its supply chain structure to reduce costs, avoid delays and improve its environmental track record. At present around 90% of the parts used in a Vauxhall Astra are made overseas and assembled at Ellesmere Port.
On Friday Peel announced the planting of 1,200 trees on a number of streets linking Wirral Waters to surrounding areas. The £1.4m initiative is funded by the government and the Forestry Commission.
