Key Points
- St Helens council leaders visited the Haydock Green development, with the visit reported on August 25, 2026.
- The development could create around 300 high-skilled jobs, according to the St Helens Star.
- Developer Fieldstone previously submitted plans for a 90,000 sq ft manufacturing and industrial building at Haydock Green.
- The proposed occupier was not publicly named when the planning application was reported in 2025 because the matter was commercially sensitive.
- The site is close to Junction 23 of the M6 and the A580 East Lancashire Road.
- The proposed building was described as the third phase of development at Haydock Green.
- Separate investment by AVK in Haydock includes assembling modular power systems and recruiting for skilled technical, operational, apprenticeship and graduate roles.
St Helens Council (Liverpool standard) August 25, 2026 — council leaders have visited the Haydock Green development, where a major project could create around 300 high-skilled jobs. The uk/local/st-helens/">St Helens Star reported that the visit took place as the scheme gathered pace, placing renewed attention on the employment potential linked to the industrial development.
The reported jobs figure remains a potential outcome rather than a confirmed total of posts already created. The available report summary describes the project as one that could create 300 high-skilled roles; it does not specify the job titles, recruitment timetable, pay levels, final occupier or the stage reached in the planning and construction process.
Previous reporting provides important context for the development. In August 2025, Neil Hodgson of TheBusinessDesk.com reported that a planning application had been submitted to St Helens Council for a 90,000 sq ft industrial building at the Fieldstone Ltd Haydock Green Development site. The proposed building had been configured for a prospective occupier planning a major investment expected to create about 300 skilled advanced-manufacturing jobs.
The proposed facility is near Junction 23 of the M6, at its intersection with the A580 East Lancashire Road. That location has been a central part of the project’s commercial case because it offers road connections for workers, suppliers and distribution activity.
The publicly available reporting does not establish whether the project visited by council leaders is fully complete, under construction, awaiting a final planning decision or at another delivery stage. It also does not identify the employer expected to provide the 300 roles. Those distinctions are significant because an employment projection and an operational recruitment programme are not the same thing.
What did earlier plans say about the proposed facility?
As reported by Tony McDonough of Liverpool Business News in August 2025, Fieldstone submitted the planning application for a 90,000 sq ft manufacturing facility at Haydock Green. The developer said discussions were under way with an unnamed prospective occupier that was considering a manufacturing operation employing around 300 people.
Fieldstone said it could not name the potential occupier at that point because the information was commercially sensitive. The developer also said it had worked with St Helens Council to secure the proposed inward investment.
According to Mr McDonough’s report, the planned building was to include manufacturing space, office accommodation and parking for cars, cycles, motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and trailers. These details indicate that the proposal was designed as a working industrial site with provision for employees and freight movements, rather than as a warehouse-only project.
Tim Webber, chairman of Barnfield Construction, which is a joint-venture partner in Fieldstone, said in the 2025 report: “This is potentially a big coup for St Helens and it underscores the attractiveness of this exceptional site for both large-scale manufacturing and logistics operators.”
Mr Webber added that the organisations involved had received support from St Helens and were seeking “a speedy planning resolution”, with a construction timetable then aiming for completion in the third quarter of the following year. That was a stated target at the time of the report, rather than confirmation that the timetable had been achieved.
Planning consultant Richard Gee of Roman Summer Associates said in the same Liverpool Business News report that the application had been prepared and submitted quickly by the client, architects Martin Spencer Architecture and other consultants. He described the proposed building as one that could have “a significant positive impact on the local economy”.
Why is Haydock Green important for St Helens employment?
Haydock Green has already been developed in stages. Mr McDonough reported that the proposed 90,000 sq ft factory would represent the third phase at the location. The first phase was a 370,000 sq ft building let to healthcare logistics company Movianto in 2019, while the second phase, known as Haydock 140, was nearing completion when the 2025 planning application was reported.
The current 300-job projection is therefore part of a broader employment and industrial-development pattern at the site. However, the figure should not be treated as a total for all businesses based at Haydock Green, nor as a guarantee of future employment. It relates to the potential occupier and manufacturing investment described in the planning reports.
A separate announcement from AVK also illustrates the type of skilled industrial activity now associated with Haydock, although the available sources do not explicitly confirm that AVK is the unnamed occupier in Fieldstone’s earlier Haydock Green proposal. AVK said its Haydock facility assembles modular low- and medium-voltage PowerPods used to support data-centre infrastructure.
According to AVK, its facility represents an initial £3 million investment. The company said recruitment would cover apprenticeships, graduate jobs and skilled technical posts, with around three quarters of roles expected to be skilled technical and operational positions. It listed electrical and mechanical installation engineers, plant movement operatives and warehouse staff among the roles.
AVK’s Head of Production Modular Services, Simon Davis, said the Haydock site would provide a dedicated location to build PowerPods at scale and create opportunities for local people, apprentices and graduates. His comments relate to AVK’s own investment announcement and should not be read as confirmation of the specific 300-job forecast reported for the Haydock Green development.
What information has not yet been confirmed?
The St Helens Star’s indexed report confirms the council leaders’ visit and the potential for 300 high-skilled jobs, but its accessible summary does not provide further detail on the identities of attendees, statements made during the visit, the company involved, planning status or a recruitment schedule.
The earlier Fieldstone reporting similarly made clear that the prospective occupier’s identity was not being disclosed publicly. Any claim that a named company will definitely deliver the 300 roles would therefore go beyond the information available in the reported sources.
Residents and prospective applicants will need further announcements from the developer, the eventual occupier or St Helens Council to establish whether the posts will be advertised locally, what qualifications will be required, and when recruitment may begin.
What is the background to the Haydock Green development?
Haydock Green is an industrial-development location near the M6 and A580, with the 2025 proposal described as its third phase. The location has previously attracted logistics and industrial uses, including the large Movianto building completed as part of the earlier phase.
The 90,000 sq ft proposal was reported as an advanced-manufacturing project intended to meet the needs of a prospective business considering investment in St Helens. The development’s position near a motorway junction was cited in reports as a key practical advantage for manufacturing and logistics operations.
How could the development affect St Helens residents and jobseekers?
If the project proceeds as described, it could increase opportunities for people seeking skilled manufacturing, engineering, operational and office-based work in and around St Helens. The potential benefit depends on the employer proceeding with its investment, the final number of roles, the skills required and the extent to which vacancies are accessible to local applicants.
For local training providers, schools and colleges, a development centred on advanced manufacturing could increase demand for technical training, apprenticeships and routes into engineering-related employment. AVK’s separate Haydock recruitment plans show that industrial employers in the area may seek a mix of technical, operational, graduate and apprenticeship talent.
For residents living near the site and road users around Junction 23, future development activity may also bring construction and commercial traffic considerations. The earlier plans included vehicle and HGV parking, but the available reports do not provide detailed projections on traffic levels, mitigation measures or local impacts.
