£150m logistics hub green light to bring 2,500 jobs

Plans for a £150m logistics hub on land close to Haydock Industrial Estate, St Helens which will bring 2,500 jobs to the area have finally been given the go-ahead.

Developer Bericote Properties says it is in discussion with potential occupants for the scheme at Florida Farm North, Haydock.

The plans, which include two buildings with a total floorspace of 1.4 million sq ft and a new junction on the A580 East Lancashire Road, were approved by St Helens Council six weeks ago, but Bericote had to wait until it was decided there would be no judicial review.

Bericote contracted national planning and development consultancy Lichfields (formerly Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners) to take forward the scheme on its behalf.

As the site currently lies in the Green Belt, there was a need to demonstrate that Very Special Circumstances exist to justify the granting of planning permission.

Lichfields says that more than 400 construction jobs will be created during the two years build phase and at least 2,500 jobs will be created in the new warehousing units, shops, services and other businesses locally.

Michael Watts, senior director and head of the Manchester office of Lichfields, said: “We are delighted to have secured planning permission for Bericote on this exciting new development.

“There is an overriding need for the provision of large-scale logistics buildings in St Helens, both to meet the economic needs of the borough and the wider needs of the Liverpool region – linked to Superport.  We demonstrated that this need was sufficient to meet the very special circumstances test”

“This is an is an excellent location for such a development – adjacent to an existing industrial estate and close to the strategic highway network – and one which will create over 2,500 new jobs when operational.”

Lichfields said that when up and running the development will contribute £2.1m a year in Business Rates and deliver a GVA economic boost of £23.3m.

Watts added: “Bericote is in discussions with potential occupants, with work expected to start on the development later his year.”