Tritax Symmetry has reached practical completion of a new, highly sustainable 161,900 sq. ft. logistics facility for Yodel at Symmetry Park Merseyside.
To mark the occasion, Tritax Symmetry director David Travis and development director Kate Howe met Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, at the Park to show how the former Cronton Colliery site is being transformed into a state-of-the-art employment park capable of creating 1,146 permanent full-time employment roles and 1,035 construction jobs during the construction phases.
The announcement coincided with the submission of a reserved matters application on units three and four and the approval of unit two, bringing forward a further 768,000 sq ft of highly sustainable logistics space across three buildings.
Built by GMI Construction, unit one was the first to be speculatively built at Symmetry Park Merseyside, a wider 1,000,000 sq. ft. industrial scheme that spans 120 acres. Yodel agreed a 15-year lease on the unit in September 2022 to bolster its distribution network across the North West region.
Designed by UMC Architects, the BREEAM Excellent facility was built to Net Zero Carbon in Construction standards.
Last week, planning was secured for unit two, comprising 272,000 sq ft and a reserved matters planning application has been submitted for units three and four offering 285,000 sq ft and 211,000 sq ft.
Symmetry Park Merseyside is a key part of Knowsley Council’s Halsnead Garden Village project, the largest combined housing and employment development in the Liverpool City Region, including around 1,600 new homes, more than 22.5 hectares of employment land, a new country park and other green spaces. The project has received £12m funding from the Mayor and Combined Authority.
As part of its commitment to the area, Tritax Symmetry, the development arm of Tritax Big Box REIT plc, is working with Shakespeare North on an initiative which sees the playhouse work with education providers throughout the Liverpool City Region as part of its School Partnership Programme
Tritax Symmetry has established a Community Benefit Fund (CBF) to support local community projects in the areas where they develop warehouse buildings. The CBF provides a donation equivalent to 10p per sq ft of newly developed floorspace for use by the local community.
Commenting on Symmetry Park, Merseyside, Kate Howe, Development Director at Tritax Symmetry, said: “By working closely with Knowsley Borough Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, we are well underway in creating a business community on this former derelict site, and in doing so, create further investment, more jobs for local people and give back to the communities in which we work. We look forward to bringing forward the next three units on the site in the coming year.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added: Halsnead Garden Village is one of our city region’s most significant development sites, enabling the creation of much needed homes, jobs and training opportunities for local people, which are expected to boost our region’s economy by more than £40m per year.
“It’s great to see the progress made thanks to our £12m investment and I’m looking forward to watching it develop and, hopefully, flourish into its own vibrant, thriving community.”
Mike Hancox, Chief Executive Officer of Yodel, commented: “We are delighted to have opened our new depot in Huyton, a key step in expanding the business. This investment in the North West builds on our existing presence in the region, which will support our retail clients and their customers, ensuring we can continue to meet demands as the ecommerce market continues to grow.”
Gerald Eve and Cushman & Wakefield are joint letting agents for the scheme.
The project team includes UMC Architects, Gerald Eve (planning), Tier Consulting and C4 Projects.
