LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry

PROOF OF EVIDENCE OF ANTHONY JOHN MEULMAN

SUMMARY

ST HELENS COUNCIL PARKSIDE REGENERATION LLP PARKSIDE ACTION GROUP (PAG)

LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY APPLICATION REFERENCES:

P/2018/0048/OUP – PARKSIDE COLLIERY SITE (ST HELENS)

P/2018/0249/FUL – PARKSIDE LINK ROAD (ST HELENS)

THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE REFERENCES:

APP/H4315/V/20/3253194 – PARKSIDE COLLIERY SITE (ST HELENS)

APP/H4315/V/20/3253230 - A49-A573 LINK ROAD (ST HELENS)

APP/M0655/V/20/3253232 - A49-A573 LINK ROAD (WARRINGTON)

DECEMBER 2020

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 1

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 3 2.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ...... 5

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 2

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 I have provided a Proof of Evidence on issues of Need in relation to planning application P/2018/0048/OUP for the development of employment uses at the Parkside Colliery site and planning application P/2018/0249/FUL in relation to the Parkside Link Road. I provide the following summary of my Proof of Evidence

1.2 I have received instructions from St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (‘the Council’) acting as the Local Planning Authority.

1.3 I am an Associate Director at BE Group, an economic and regeneration consultancy based in Warrington. I have a Master of Regional Development conferred by the University of Queensland and have 19 years’ experience working as an economic and regeneration consultant. This work includes analyses on a wide range of urban developments. In particular in my role at BE Group I have prepared employment land studies for several local authorities in England and Wales.

1.4 I have consulted with the other experts in relation to need, Andrew Pexton of JLL (instructed by Parkside Regeneration Ltd as applicant) and Vince of BE Group (instructed by St Helens Council as applicant for the Parkside Link Road) and have agreed on issues of demand for large-scale warehousing within the North West and St Helens.

Scope of Evidence 1.5 My Proof of Evidence addresses issues for the Parkside Phase 1 and the Parkside Link Road applications. The Issues outlined in the Parkside and Parkside Link Road Second Case Management Conference Summary that I address in this Proof of Evidence are (numbering is Summary paper’s numbering) a., b., c. and j.:

1.6 My Proof of Evidence addresses the above issues through the following chapters:

Chapter 2.0: summarises the characteristics of the proposed developments as relevant to the assessment of need; Chapter 3.0: summarises the policy context in relation to need; Chapter 4.0: provides commentary on the market for large-scale warehousing space; Chapter 5.0: assessment of the supply of sites to meet need;

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 3

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry Chapter 6.0: alternative site assessment for a scheme of similar scale and type as that proposed for Parkside; and Chapter 7.0: need for Parkside Phase 1 and Parkside Link Road; Chapter 8.0: conclusions.

1.7 The evidence which I have prepared and provide for this appeal (APP/H4315/V/20/3253194 and APP/H4315/V/20/3253230) is true and I confirm that the opinions expressed are my true and professional opinions.

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 4

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry 2.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

2.1 The following provides a summary of my Proof of Evidence findings.

Context 2.2 There is long-term policy support for an employment site at Parkside, including support for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI), including within:

• North West of England Plan Regional Spatial Strategy to 2021 (September 2008) (CD 2.11) • St Helens Core Strategy (October 2012) (CD 2.2) • St Helens Local Plan 2020-2035 Submission Draft (January 2019) (CD 3.18)

2.3 City Region studies have identified a shortfall in the supply of employment land for large-scale warehouse units. The SHELMA (CD 4.214) identified a requirement of 339-437 ha of employment land suitable for large-scale warehouse uses to 2037 (including 10% buffer), compared to a supply identified in the Liverpool City Region Assessment of the Supply of Large-Scale B8 Sites (CD 5.83) of allocated sites of 171.3 ha across the region. If also accounting for sites with planning applications this increased to 295.6 ha, this bulk of this additional potential supply being the Parkside West and Parkside East sites. This would still result in a shortfall of employment land for large-scale warehousing uses, but demonstrated the importance of the Parkside sites in forming part of the supply for the Liverpool City Region.

2.4 The St Helens Core Strategy 2012 (CD 2.2) identified an employment land requirement of at least 37 ha to 2027 to meet St Helens’ needs. However, work I have completed on behalf of St Helens Council as part of its evidence base for the Local Plan 2020- 2035 has shown that this land requirement is out of date and not reflective of current market demand and I forecast a land requirement of 190-239 ha between 2012 and 2037, which has been used as the basis for the target in the Local Plan 2020-2035 Submission Draft to deliver a minimum of 219.2 ha of employment land between 2018 and 2035.

Property Market 2.5 Demand for large-scale warehousing units has been strong in the North West in recent years, driven by the increase in demand for warehousing to service the growing online

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 5

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry retail market. This demand has accelerated in 2020 as online retailing has significantly increased as consumers change purchasing behaviours in response to Covid-19 restrictions. However, the movement towards online retailing was well established before the pandemic and is expected to be sustained beyond current restrictions on the high-street.

2.6 In St Helens, recent development activity on employment land has been concentrated on large-scale warehousing uses that has resulted in major companies locating to St Helens, including Kellogg’s (48,830 sqm), Amazon (30,000 sqm) and Movianto (34,650 sqm). In the adjacent borough of Warrington, there has been substantial activity at Omega Warrington for large-scale units, with development of units ranging from 3,251 sqm to 64,103 sqm. Occupiers of these units in St Helens and Warrington have been attracted to the large sites with excellent access to the motorway network.

Supply to Meet Need 2.7 The Local Plan Submission Draft set a minimum target of 219.2 ha of employment land to be made available in St Helens. Take up of employment land since 2018 has been 55.72 ha (at Florida Farm North, Penny Land and Thatto Heath) and remaining allocated sites comprise 4.04 ha. Therefore, there is a residual requirement of 159.54 ha.

2.8 The Parkside Phase 1 proposal at 47.9 ha represents a strong candidate to provide for some of that minimum requirement and meets the needs for large-scale warehousing sites. As shown in the applicant’s Alternative Sites Assessment this is the preferred site within St Helens for a development comparable to that proposed for Parkside.

2.9 Parkside Phase 2 and Parkside East, enabled through the development of the Parkside Link Road, would provide a consolidated hub of employment uses at this location, expanding on Parkside Phase 1 in an efficient manner, rather than opening up another Green Belt location for employment to satisfy this requirement. Importantly, this site is the only opportunity for the delivery of the SRFI.

2.10 A significant component of the Parkside East site, if developed as anticipated for the SRFI, would be consumed by the rail transport infrastructure itself, including tracks, terminus, platforms and buffer areas. The actual quantity of area available for

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 6

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry warehousing would need to be determined through further planning for the site, but importantly, it should not be assumed that the full Parkside East site would be available for B-class employment development.

Alternative Sites Assessment 2.11 There are no sites within St Helens borough that can support a scheme similar to that proposed at Parkside (West and East) that are not in the Green Belt. Furthermore, no other site could facilitate the development of the SRFI. The Alternative Sites Assessment (CD 4.7) submitted by the applicant as part of the planning application demonstrated that there was no site within St Helens preferable for such a scheme within the borough.

2.12 The recent consent at Omega Western Extension is to be included within Warrington’s supply. Almost half of this consent is already committed for a Home Bargains distribution centre. The remaining part of the site would serve a comparable market to that likely for Parkside, though does not have capacity for a SRFI. Other potential sites in Wigan and Warrington are also in the Green Belt or are inferior sites to that at Parkside and would not be a preferred outcome in providing for St Helens’ needs.

Need for the Parkside Phase 1 Proposal 2.13 It is my opinion that there is a very strong need for the Parkside Phase 1 proposal to form part of the supply to meet the overall St Helens OAN to 2037 for the following reasons:

a) There is a strong, buoyant market for large-scale warehouse uses in this corridor. b) The site is an attractive site for large-scale warehouse uses, being close to junctions of two motorways, centrally located between and Liverpool and is very large. c) There are no alternative sites in urban settlements of St Helens of a comparable scale to Parkside Phase 1. d) Other allocated sites within the adopted Core Strategies of Wigan and Warrington are either inferior (in the case of Wigan’s site) or coming to the end of its development life (in the case of Omega Warrington).

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 7

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry e) The Parkside proposal means that St Helens can have a broader and higher-profile role in the regional logistics market that is growing due to the growth of Liverpool2. f) The Parkside site can be an important component in addressing the forecast shortfall for large-scale warehousing sites as identified in the Liverpool City Region Assessment of the Supply of Large-Scale B8 Sites. g) More immediately, the North West’s region has active requirements well in excess of speculative new build and under construction units, demonstrating a need for further sites to come forward and be developed for large-scale warehousing premises. h) The Parkside Phase 1 site can provide further sites once Omega Warrington and Haydock are exhausted for sites, ensuring continuity of supply in this locality. i) The Parkside Phase 1 scheme can help to catalyse the SRFI component of the broader Parkside site, which would have economic and transport benefits for St Helens and the broader region.

Need for the Parkside Link Road Proposal 2.14 It is my opinion that there is a strong need for the Parkside Link Road proposal to form part of the supply to meet the overall St Helens OAN to 2037 for the following reasons:

a) The Parkside Link Road is critical for the development of the remainder of the Parkside site (after Phase 1), including further B8 sites and the SRFI. b) There is a strong, buoyant market for large-scale warehouse uses in this corridor. This market appears to have longer-term strength necessitating more than just Parkside Phase 1. c) The site is an attractive site for large-scale warehouse uses, being close to junctions to two motorways, centrally located between Manchester and Liverpool and is very large. d) There are no alternative sites in urban settlements of St Helens of a comparable scale to Parkside East. e) The Parkside Link Road is required to help deliver the SRFI, thereby contributing to the network of SRFIs throughout the country, for which the Government has identified a compelling need.

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 8

LPA.AM.2 Proof of Evidence on Need – Summary Parkside and Parkside Link Road Inquiry f) There are no alternatives that can provide the rail infrastructure to secure the SRFI. g) Other allocated sites within the adopted Core Strategies of Wigan and Warrington are either inferior (in the case of Wigan’s site) or coming to the end of its development life (in the case of Omega Warrington). h) The Parkside proposal means that St Helens can have a broader and higher-profile role in the regional logistics market that is growing due to the growth of Liverpool2. This role will be particularly enhanced with the development of the SRFI, which can only be delivered with the Parkside Link Road. i) The Parkside East site can be an important component in addressing the forecast shortfall for large-scale warehousing sites as identified in the Liverpool City Region Assessment of the Supply of Large-Scale B8 Sites. j) The Parkside East site can provide further sites once Parkside Phase 1 is exhausted for sites, ensuring continuity of supply in this locality. This can only be delivered with the Parkside Link Road.

SIGNED:

ANTHONY JOHN MEULMAN

DATE 8th December 2020

Evidence of Anthony Meulman, BE Group 9