St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet have approved the next steps for the development which will see Balfour Beatty start work on the site in the new year to create the Parkside Link Road which will prove a real benefit for the local community and commuters by creating a direct link to the M6 from the site.

Councillors also approved plans as part of the joint venture that will support the bringing forward the construction of phase one of the development after it received approval from Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, last month.

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, said: “We have been waiting eagerly for the approval from Government for some time and now that we have finally received the good news we are keen to get moving on this truly transformational development for our borough. Phase one will of course bring huge benefit to the borough by creating quality jobs for our residents through both the construction and operation of this site.  

“Parkside has significant regional importance as a large scale economic growth opportunity and will put St Helens back on the map as an economic power.  Michael Gove on his approval of the plans last month highlighted the significant economic benefits of a site at the sweet spot between Liverpool and Manchester. It is also why Parkside has been identified as the largest custom and tax site in the Liverpool City Region Freeport plan.” 

Councillor Andy Bowden, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, added: “These plans will bring a former major employment site in our borough back into use after so long being left as a site plagued by anti-social behaviour. The Parkside Link Road is one of the biggest infrastructure projects our borough and the region has seen in many years and will provide a huge boost to development while reducing the impact on our local road networks.  

“Working with Balfour Beatty as our delivery partner for the road will also secure huge social value to the community with the company committing to apprenticeships, training and supporting local supply chains. This project shows that we are determined to deliver this road, and unlock the huge potential of the wider site, in particular it’s opportunity to provide more opportunities for developing and encouraging sustainable industry through the sites unique rail freight positioning as quickly as we can to benefit our borough.” 

Cabinet approved the release of funding for the link road along with the necessary additional land acquisition to make junction improvements at the junction of Southworth Road and Parkside Road to comply with planning conditions.

The first phase of the development will cover a 93,000 square metre site, bringing almost 500 jobs during the construction and the potential of more than 1,000 new jobs offering a variety of skills in the completed buildings.