Work progressing on Parkside link road

St Helens councillors took a tour of the Parkside link road as work to complete the road moves forward.

It comes as detailed plans have just been submitted by Parkside Regeneration, the joint venture between St Helens Council and developer Langtree, for the first phase of development covering one million sq ft of development on part of the site.

The road, which is part funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, will provide access to the Parkside Freeport site linking directly to the M6 and local road networks, while diverting goods traffic away from the A49 and residential areas, improving connectivity for commuters and helping to address environmental concerns.

The councillors heard how the development is delivering ‘social value’ by creating jobs and supply chain opportunities for residents and businesses in the borough.

Work is now progressing towards the next phase that will see improvements begin later this year at the key junctions of Southworth Road with Parkside Road and Mill Lane with Southworth Road.

Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron, deputy leader of St Helens Council and cabinet member for strategic transport, said: “Parkside link road is the key to unlocking the opportunities that Parkside presents as a regionally significant development site thanks to its Freeport status.

“That includes a diverse group of industry from logistics to advanced manufacturing on site who can benefit from Freeport status. The council is committed to having the infrastructure in place before any development took place and we are keeping to that commitment.

“Parkside will bring huge levels of investment into our borough, together with a wealth of jobs for our residents to benefit from and the link road will deliver this while reducing the impact on the Newton-le-Willows community by taking traffic to the site away from our local roads.

“Work is progressing well and to see the difference over the last year of construction is amazing, with the road clearly advancing so that it will be ready to serve the Parkside development in the future.”