Press

Northern Trust’s portfolio continues to grow with the recent acquisition of a 5 acre development site in St Helens. The brownfield site on College Street was purchased from St Helens Council following a competitive tender, and comes on the back of the company’s recent industrial estate acquisition in Livingston, Scotland.

 

With the assistance of ERDF funding, Northern Trust plan to develop out the site in three phases. The first phase of the £7.5 million, 80,000 sq ft new development, will incorporate 30,677 sq ft of new high quality workspace units ranging from 535 sq ft up to 3,779 sq ft.

 

Comprising of 21 units split into three blocks, construction work on the initial 2 acres, is scheduled to commence in the Autumn. Prior to that Northern Trust will undertake a full site remediation with initial ground works expected to begin in the next few weeks. The scheme will include construction of a new estate road, full site servicing and highways improvements.

 

Mike Grindrod, Development Director at Northern Trust added “Northern Trust already own two existing workshop estates in St Helens, and this new development shows our commitment to improving the prosperity of both the town and wider borough. By creating a range of modern industrial workshop units in sizes targeted at new start-up and SME businesses looking to relocate to the area we are confident the new development will prove a huge success.”

 

Councillor Andy Bowden, Cabinet Member for Urban Regeneration and Housing at St.Helens Council commented: “This is a prime development site which used to be the home of the Council’s former Operations team before moving to Hardshaw Brook Depot. This development is a major boost to the local economy and will bring in business and jobs to the borough. It will be a valuable addition to our business offer.”

 

The development plans will achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent. Units over c500 sq ft will also include a fully fitted office. Concrete service yards will provide adequate circulation and loading facilities and there will be ample car parking and quality landscaping around the scheme.

 

The site remediation will also bring forward a further 3 acres for the future phased development, and initial plans include the provision of a c30,000 sq ft modern office building which could be available on a pre-let basis.

 

The new development to be known as Gerards Park is located on College Street, a half mile from the town centre on the main arterial route between the town Centre and the A580 (East Lancashire Road).

 

The new development will be managed and marketed by Northern Trust’s in house management company Whittle Jones North West, and anyone interested in further details can contact the team on 01257 238666.

 

 

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Press Enquiries to Rosalyn Booth/Jonathan Livesey, Northern Trust, 01257 238555.

 

 

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is making a real difference to people and businesses in the Northwest. With €755 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, ERDF is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment.