COUNCILLORS are set to make a decision on major plans for three employment units – each almost 22 metres high – on the former Parkside Colliery site.

Two reserved matters planning applications for the land will come before St Helens Council’s planning committee at its meeting next Tuesday.

The first relates to access and landscaping and is for enabling and infrastructure works to facilitate employment development.

This comprises site-wide ‘earthworks’ to create development platforms, details of strategic landscaping (off-plot), including bunds, planting, ecological mitigation, drainage, and ground works. The proposal also includes upgrades to an existing substation and ‘details of spine road access’ from the Parkside link road.

The second application seeks approval for access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for the three employment units at plots A, B and C – as well as landscaping works, associated servicing and infrastructure, noise mitigation, car parking, vehicle and pedestrian circulation space.

A report to the committee says this application proposes three individual units across the development, which would provide approximately 793,200ft² of gross internal floor area in total – with each unit to be approximately 21.8 metres in height.

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It adds: “It is considered that this reserved matters application would comply with the requirements of the development plan and would not result in a development that is different to the conclusions of the outline permission.

“The proposed design of the units and landscaping is considered to be of a high quality, which would set a standard of design across the wider area and one that is unique to the north west for this type of development.

“The submitted details demonstrate that the proposed development would ensure that the remainder of Parkside West can deliver B2 and B8 uses under Local Plan Policy LPA10.

“The planning conditions of the outline permission and the current application would ensure that the amenity of local residents is protected.

“This includes a specific proposed planning condition relating to the HGV management plan and monitoring thereof, with the potential for delivery of additional HGV parking facilities to be required to address any issues arising in the locality.”

Both applications are being recommended for approval subject to conditions – with authority delegated to the head of planning to ‘add, amend, or remove conditions as they deem necessary’.