Parkside Regeneration has received reserved matters approval for the £80m first phase of the redevelopment of the former Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows.
The scheme was granted outline consent following a public inquiry in November 2021. The reserved matters application submitted in May 2023 is for 800,000 sq ft of B8 space spread across three units.
Parkside is a joint venture between St Helens Borough Council and developer Langtree and will see up to 2.6m sq ft of logistics and advanced manufacturing space developed on the former colliery site.
John Downes, chief executive of Langtree, said: “It’s been a long road to get to this point, but that’s a function of the project’s transformational scale and the detailed nature of what was required to get us here. I’m very pleased with the outcome and my thanks go to the council’s officers and the planning committee for their hard work in assessing such a complex application.
“I began my career at Parkside in 1976. The colliery was the most modern pit in the Lancashire coalfield and was a great workplace for a great number of people. Returning the site to a modern major employment generator for Newton-le-Willows has long been a key priority for me. Opening the site to public access has also been a critical part of the whole design process and we have worked hard on the landscape treatment which features an extensive heritage and trim trail.”
Councillor Kate Grouctt, St Helens Borough Council’s cabinet member for economy, skills and business, added: “This approval allows us to step up our work with local companies and residents to ensure that they have an opportunity to benefit from the investment that can now flow as a result of the consent.
“Only last week the Parkside team funded and attended a careers fair for St Helens and Newton-le-Willows school children, exploring the various job opportunities that will become available as the scheme moves forward, and this type of engagement will continue.
“The real measure of success will be the economic impact on Newton-le-Willows and the wider region through the creation of high-quality jobs, along with the social value generated through spending with local firms, the gains in biodiversity and a focus on education and skills. Now that this key milestone has been passed, we can progress with our plans with even greater confidence.”
Spawforths is the planning consultant for the project, Curtins is advising on highways, Fletcher Rae is the scheme’s architect and TPM Landscape is the landscape architect.
