Work on a link road connecting Parkside to the M6 over greenbelt land is set to be finished this year.
The ECHO reported last year how plans for the development on the former Parkside colliery were approved by secretary of state Michael Gove, and had been the subject of great debate across Newton-le-Willows. Part of the plans included a new £50m link road connecting the site to junction 22 of the M6 motorway, built on land which is currently green space.
Plans have been in place to transform the former colliery into an employment park, which St Helens Council claim will "unlock the full economic potential" of the area.
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The plans sparked controversy at the time due to the development being built on what was previously green belt land.
It was recently announced that the site would become of Liverpool City Region's freeport sites, meaning that goods imported to the site from abroad are exempt from taxes. Once fully operational, it is estimated that the freeport could create more than 14,000 new highly skilled jobs, deliver £800m of investment and generate an additional £850m of gross value added for the Liverpool City Region's economy.
Councillor David Baines, Leader of St Helens Borough Council and LCR Freeport Board Member, said: "We have seen with the example of SSO International how the LCR Freeport has huge potential for businesses across our region and beyond, creating prosperity and tangible benefits for our residents in the form of good quality jobs and the increased opportunities a growing economy brings.
"We now have a pipeline of 50 companies across the region interested in following SSO International's example, and with Parkside here in St Helens Borough we are working to bring as many of these benefits as possible right here to our doorstep."
St Helens Borough Council claims the link road is crucial to unlocking the full economic potential of the former colliery site. Parkside colliery, which sits just south of Newton-le-Willows, was one of the last coal mines left open in the Lancashire Coalfield, having opened in 1974, and closing in 1993.
John Downes, chairman of Parkside Regeneration and the Chief Executive of Langtree said: "The link road is the logical and efficient route in and out of the site and is designed to take pressure off the A49 and local junctions when the site is fully operational."
The link road is estimated to be completed in December 2023.
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