THE first phase of plans to regenerate the former colliery at Parkside are to be submitted at the end of July which will mark a "key milestone" in the long-running development saga.

The plans for the Newton-le-Willows site have been a subject of lengthy debate, having been kicked into the long grass for years as those for and against the scheme battled it out and initial political promises evaporated.

However, in 2014 redevelopment plans of the former colliery into a major rail freight terminal were revived by a joint venture, Parkside Regeneration, involving St Helens Council and property, investment and development company Langtree, who acquired the site.

The project was described as a big step forward in plans to replace the 2,000 jobs which were lost from the colliery's closure in 1992.

Opposition to the plans has continued with an action group set up with the stated aim of saving the former coal mine site from what it calls "unsuitable development".

Developers have confirmed that they will submit a planning application on July 31 for the first phase of the project.

Bosses at Parkside Regeneration are to host public information days ahead of the submission for people to see the final shape of what is proposed.

“We have consulted extensively on our proposals and received some very constructive feedback,” said John Downes, group managing director of Langtree.

“Where practical we’ve incorporated a number of suggestions in to our proposals and intend to share them with the public before we submit our plans.”

Developers say the first phase plans will incorporate up to 93,000 square metres of "new employment space" and will provide up to 1,200 new jobs and generate £40m a year in economic activity, adding £3.25m a year in payments towards the local authority's income.

Hailing the upcoming application for the first phase, council leader Cllr Barrie Grunewald, said: “The submission of a planning application is a key milestone in the joint venture’s ambitions for Parkside.

"It will show us the nature and scale of the opportunity before us to deal with long-term, generational unemployment in St Helens and bring a redundant, brownfield site back in to productive use.”

The application is expected to be ruled upon before the end of the year, although no date has yet been set. Developers add independent reports addressing issues such as road capacity, environmental impact and the development’s economic contribution to the borough are to be included.

Meanwhile, the council is proposing a new link road from the site to junction 22 of the M6 to support the development following feedback from a public consultation which highlighted the requirement for a link road between the site and the M6 to ease congestion.

After possible routes were identified, one was shortlisted as the best option which will now go forward for further detailed design and consultation with the public.

The council says the road will benefit businesses and help residents with traffic being diverted away from Newton-le-Willows and Winwick, allowing for quicker and easier access on to the M6 at the junction.

People will also be able to view the link road proposals at the public information days.

Cllr Grunewald added: “The Parkside development represents an extremely attractive proposition for logistics and warehousing companies looking for a prime location on the motorway network.

“A new link road would not only attract businesses to the site but would clearly benefit local people and commuters.

"In fact, public feedback on the development of the Parkside site highlight that local people saw the development of a new link road as essential.

“There is nothing not to like about the proposals for this road, with businesses, local people and commuters all benefitting from the scheme.”

The public information events are to be held at Hope Academy School from 4pm to 8pm on Tuesday, July 11 and at Winwick Leisure Centre from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday, July 13.