As many as 1,000 new jobs would be created if Amazon is given the go-ahead for a million square foot Merseyside distribution centre.
The application, formally lodged by Gallan Stoford on behalf of the internet shopping giant, is for a 22-hectare storage and distribution facility at Stonebridge Cross, Croxteth. The land falls within one of the city’s Mayoral Development Zones — set up to address issues of skills and employment and promote business growth.
“This proposal is a key part of our efforts to regenerate Croxteth and the city as a whole, and has the potential to create huge, much-needed employment opportunities for local people,” said Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson.
“These are exciting times for Croxteth as we regenerate an area that has been neglected for decades,” he added. “Securing planning approval will be a vital piece in the jigsaw in securing an end user in this very fast moving sector of the economy.”
A spokesperson for Amazon refused to confirm details of a possible Merseyside depot, but said the company was “actively engaged in expansion plans” and looking at a number of areas. Liverpool, Deeside and Halton have all been vying to woo the online retailer to establish new centres, with Liverpool thought to be ahead of the field.
Earlier this year the project was hit with a setback after it was revealed the Government was likely to block the use of the former Croxteth Comprehensive and Croxteth Primary school playing fields. The Department for Education indicated it would reject Liverpool City Council’s request to allow the playing field site to be sold.
The stand-off was finally resolved, and the distribution development allowed to progress, when the city authority brokered a deal for extra leisure space at nearby Parkview Recreation Ground and Dwerryhouse Playing Fields.
Early in the year plans to re-route the River Alt to help clear the way for the Amazon warehouse were also approved by the city council’s planning committee.
“This scheme is vital to the successful regeneration of Croxteth and one-by-one we are overcoming the obstacles and assembling the land,” said Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, a city council cabinet member for regeneration.
Work is already underway on wider regeneration of the area, with approval already given for a new supermarket and retail centre, creating at least 500 retail jobs. Other plans include a health centre and community hub. Future phases of the Stonebridge Cross development are expected to include several hundred new homes.
The decision to locate an Amazon distribution centre in Croxteth initially met with opposition from the local community, who were under the impression a school would be built on the Stonebridge Cross site. Opposition has now calmed with the prospect of a thousand badly needed jobs.
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