Logistics development company Tritax Symmetry has acquired a 221-acre site at St Helens in the Liverpool City Region as part of its plans to develop a 2.5 million sq. ft logistics scheme and a new strategic rail freight interchange project.

The site is within Liverpool City Region’s Freeport zone adjacent to Junction 22 of the M6, and is already allocated for employment. Known as Parkside East, it is halfway between Liverpool and Manchester and near to Warrington and Wigan, whilst the St Chad’s railway line runs adjacent to the north of the site.

Tritax is currently working on a detailed masterplan to allow it to apply for a Development Consent Order that will allow it to develop the whole project. Parkside East is Tritax Symmetry’s second rail freight interchange project in the last two years, following one at Hinckley in Leicestershire where it is looking to develop a multi-modal freight interchange and distribution centre.

Andrew Dickman, Managing Director at Tritax Symmetry, commented: “As a business, we have strategically been identifying more sustainable projects which align with our own business values.

“With the recent news that HS2 leg from Birmingham to Manchester has been cancelled, this is a timely public-private sector intervention, that will see significant investment into the Liverpool City Region and the wider infrastructure network.

“Parkside East is a significant project and one we believe will be an exemplar in providing greener, more efficient solutions, removing freight from main line stations and in doing so alleviating pressure and freeing up passenger capacity.”

Sean Traynor, Director of Strategic Growth at St Helens Borough Council, commented: “The adoption of the Council’s Local Plan in 2022 unlocked Parkside East and I am delighted to see this investment by Tritax Symmetry.

“We are looking forward to working with them alongside our partners at Liverpool City Region to develop a first-class intermodal Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, a key feature which makes Parkside East a development site of regional and national importance.”

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority awarded a £24m grant from its Strategic Investment Fund towards the Parkside Link Road project to improve connectivity to one of the city region’s key employment sites.

Mayor Steve Rotheram, said: “Thanks to devolution, with local leaders working together in the best interests of our communities, we’ve been able to take a leading role in the regeneration of sites like Parkside. I am looking forward to seeing the site become a bustling hub of businesses and opportunity.

“It will form a key part of our Freeport, which has the potential to attract international investment, create more well-paid, highly-skilled jobs for local people and build on our existing strengths. But, for me, it has to mean much more than that. I want to ensure that there is purpose behind this status that fuels greater social mobility, innovation, and inclusion for our whole region.”