‘Amazon’ shed set for approval
LIVERPOOL’S planning committee is expected to appove proposals for a 1.2 million sq ft distribution shed at Stonebridge Cross next week, despite opposition from neighbouring Knowsley.
Developer Gallan Stoford Liverpool is behind plans for a 1.2 million sq ft distribution warehouse off the East Lancs Road in Croxteth which it said has a potential “multi-national occupier”.
It originally said the site would employ 1,470 people – directly and indirectly – and the council has long stressed the opportunity could “create up to 1,000” jobs.
But the authority’s own document, prepared ahead of next week’s planning meeting, states the building will employ 500 full-time people in warehouse and office roles. A further 200 would work weekends and a total of 1,000 would be employed in the four weeks running up to Christmas.
The scheme is being encouraged by the council in a bid to lure online retailer Amazon to Merseyside. Just over a year ago it tore up an existing retail and housing scheme to clear the way for the distribution warehouse. But Amazon has still not decided on where it will go. Last month Property Week said developer Bericote was seeking forward-funding to construct a 1.2 million sq ft shed on land owned by chemicals producer Cabot Carbon in Ellemsere Port.
Nonetheless, Liverpool has moved the Stonebridge retail element to a new site to the north of the East Lancs Road, while 190 homes will be built at the former Queen Mary School site in Fazakerley. Both are being delivered by Neptune and Regeneration Liverpool, a joint venture between regeneration specialist Sigma Inpartnership and Liverpool City Council.
The Stonebridge Cross site is currently open land, consisting of a playing fields and cleared housing. The proposed development, which would require the re-routing of the River Alt, has been criticised by residents for the loss of open space, pollution fears and general environmental impact.
Neighbouring Knowsley Borough Council has objected, citing the scheme’s impact on the surrounding transport network and concerns over the lack of public transport links to the site.
In a statement Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “This proposal is a key part of our efforts to regenerate Croxteth and the city as a whole, and has the potential to create huge, much-needed employment opportunities for local people. Securing planning approval will be a vital piece in the jigsaw in securing an end user in this very fast moving sector of the economy. These are exciting times for Croxteth as we regenerate an area that has been neglected for decades.”
Amazon was interested in moving to Prologis’s Mersey Multimodal Gateway in Widnes, but the deal fell through when Halebank Parish Council requested a judicial review. The development will be considered by the planning committee on November 19.
