Plans for a huge business park on the site of a former colliery have moved another step closer.
Parkside Colliery, south of Newton-le-Willows, was a major site on the South Lancashire coalfield, and was one of the last mines still operating in the area when it was closed in 1993.
The Parkside plans are a joint venture between developers Langtree and St Helens Council which aim to transform the former colliery into a logistics hub. However, the fact that the project would be built largely on green belt land has made the plans controversial from the start.
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In late 2021, the ECHO reported that the plans had been given the green light by secretary of state Michael Gove, amid backlash from locals at the time.
It was recently announced that the site would become one of Liverpool City Region's freeport sites, meaning that goods imported to the site from abroad are exempt from taxes. Once fully operational, it is estimated that the freeport could create more than 14,000 new highly skilled jobs, deliver £800m of investment and generate an additional £850m of gross value added for the Liverpool City Region's economy.
Work on a £50m link road connecting the site to the M6 is set to be finished by the end of 2023, according to developers.
Councillor David Baines, Leader of St Helens Borough Council and LCR Freeport Board Member, said: "We have seen with the example of SSO International how the LCR Freeport has huge potential for businesses across our region and beyond, creating prosperity and tangible benefits for our residents in the form of good quality jobs and the increased opportunities a growing economy brings.
"We now have a pipeline of 50 companies across the region interested in following SSO International's example, and with Parkside here in St Helens Borough we are working to bring as many of these benefits as possible right here to our doorstep."
The first employment phase of Parkside has been given a date of June 2024 for opening.
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