Work starts on new delivery depot

REGENERATION specialist St Modwen has begun work on the new £12m depot for express delivery service DPD (UK) in Liverpool

A ground-breaking ceremony, attended by the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson marked the official start of work on the site on Sugarbrook Drive at Stonebridge Park.

The agreement with Liverpool City Council will see St Modwen build a 69,000sq ft parcel delivery facility for DPD, which will service the Liverpool and Merseyside region.

The new facility will bring a total investment of £12m to the region and create up to 250 permanent and construction jobs. The depot is expected to be completed by early 2016 and following completion DPD will take a 25-year lease.

Meanwhile St Modwen will submit an application for a further phase of up to 70,000 sq ft of industrial units.

The Liverpool facility is one of three new sites that St Modwen is delivering for DPD, with depots currently being developed at Skypark in Exeter and Etruria Valley in Stoke on Trent.

Steven Knowles, regional director of St Modwen, said: “This scheme will not only bring investment and employment opportunities to the region, but also signifies the return to growth in Liverpool. Work beginning on site at Stonebridge Park is a big milestone and one of several key developments that demonstrate our continued commitment to the Merseyside area.
 
“Stonebridge Park enjoys strong transport links and is ideally located for DPD to serve the region. We look forward to delivering this depot for DPD and building on Stonebridge Park’s appeal and demand with the further addition of new development for employment use.”
 
Anderson said: “This is a significant and important investment in a part of the city that we are working hard to regenerate. When combined with the new housing, proposed new retail and St John Bosco School, the Stonebridge area is now a place that is well and truly on the up.”