St Helens Agricultural Land to Be Converted for Industrial Use 2026

Key Points

• Use of the Lea Green Business Park industrial sites has been granted conditional approval.
• The application includes land at Eurolink, Sutton Manor, close to the junction of Euolink and Lea Green Road.
• The proposal includes the conversion of the site from agricultural to industrial use.
• Approximately 4,850 square metres of additional hardstanding will take place adjacent to the industrial units.
• The grassland area and self-planted trees will need to be removed to facilitate the hardstanding extension.
• The site will be bordered to the north by a battery storage facility and surrounded on all other sides by industrial units.
• Industrial units to the south will undergo refurbishment with approved works including the resurfacing of the site.
• There are to be two hawthorn trees, five goat willows and one oak tree retained at adjacent sites.
• The retained trees will provide screening along Lea Green Road.
• The site is situated within an existing industrial estate located to the east of the St Helens Linkway which acts as a gateway route into the town centre from the M62 motorway.

St Helens (Liverpool standard) August 08, 2026 – reported that the approved application concerns land at the rear of Lea Green Business Park, positioned near the corner of Eurolink and Lea Green Road. The proposal includes the creation of hardstanding for adjacent industrial units within the existing Eurolink Industrial Estate.

Lea Green Business Park industrial use plans have been given the green light after an application to change land at Eurolink, Sutton Manor, from agricultural use to industrial use was approved subject to conditions.

The decision allows the site to be used for industrial purposes rather than remaining in agricultural use. The application also includes the extension of hardstanding across the parcel of land, with approximately 4,850 square metres of additional surfaced space proposed.

The available report does not identify an individual journalist by name. The details in the report were presented through the planning information cited in the uk/local/st-helens/">St Helens Star coverage.sthelensstar

Where is the approved development located?

The application site is located at the rear of Lea Green Business Park, close to the junction of Eurolink and Lea Green Road. It sits within an established industrial estate on the eastern side of St Helens Linkway.

The officer report describes St Helens Linkway as a gateway corridor leading towards St Helens town centre from the M62 motorway. This places the site close to an important road connection used by people travelling between the motorway network, the industrial estate and the town.

The location is already surrounded by industrial and infrastructure-related uses. According to the officer report, a battery storage facility is situated along the northern boundary of the site. Industrial units form the western, southern and eastern boundaries.

The surrounding land uses were an important part of the description of the application site. Rather than being an isolated parcel surrounded by open countryside, the land is positioned within an established employment area where industrial buildings and related infrastructure are already present.

What work does the planning permission allow?

The approved proposal seeks permission to change the use of the land from agricultural use to industrial use. It also provides for hardstanding connected with the neighbouring industrial units.

The officer report states that the proposed development would involve clearing the existing grassland and self-seeded trees. The cleared area would then be used to extend the hardstanding within the Eurolink Industrial Estate.

Hardstanding generally provides a firm, surfaced area suitable for activities associated with industrial premises. However, the available planning details do not state that a new factory, warehouse or individual industrial building has been approved on the site. The material available instead describes a change of land use and the provision of additional hardstanding for adjacent industrial units.

The planned hardstanding would cover approximately 4,850 square metres. The report does not provide further details in the supplied information about the final surface material, operating hours, vehicle numbers, lighting, drainage arrangements or the identity of any future occupier.

The permission has been granted subject to conditions. The information available does not list every condition attached to the decision, so the full planning decision notice would be required to confirm the detailed requirements that must be met before or during the work.

What is happening at the neighbouring industrial units?

The officer report says that the industrial units along the southern boundary are currently being refurbished. It also states that the hardstanding serving those units is being resurfaced.

Approval for the refurbishment and resurfacing works was secured last year, according to the report. The newly approved application is therefore connected to a wider set of works taking place around the existing industrial units, although the supplied information does not state that all of the works form one single project.

The report’s description indicates that the southern units are not being treated as undeveloped land. They are existing industrial premises undergoing improvement, while the latest application relates specifically to the nearby parcel of land and the proposed extension of hardstanding.

No details have been provided about the businesses occupying the neighbouring units, the nature of their operations or whether the approved hardstanding will be used by one company or multiple industrial occupiers.

Which trees will be retained?

The proposal includes the clearance of grassland and self-seeded trees from the application site. However, the submitted tree survey plan shows that several trees on neighbouring land will be retained.

The trees identified for retention are:

• Two hawthorn trees.
• Five goat willow trees.
• One oak tree.

The officer report states that these trees are positioned on neighbouring land rather than within the area proposed for clearance. Their retention is significant because the report says they will provide screening between the site and Lea Green Road.

The available information does not state the age, height or condition of the individual trees. It also does not specify whether additional planting is required as part of the conditions attached to the permission. Those details would need to be checked against the full tree survey, landscaping documents and planning decision notice.

The report’s reference to screening indicates that the retained vegetation will help reduce the visual prominence of the hardstanding from the road. It does not, based on the supplied details, confirm how effective the screening will be after the works are completed.

Why does the decision matter for the industrial estate?

The decision enables an additional area of land within the established industrial estate to be brought into industrial use. The main physical change described in the application is the creation of approximately 4,850 square metres of additional hardstanding.

For neighbouring industrial units, the approval could provide more usable surfaced space linked to existing premises. The available planning information does not confirm whether that space will be used for storage, servicing, vehicle movements, loading or another industrial purpose.

For people travelling along Lea Green Road, the principal visible change could be the clearance of grassland and the appearance of a larger surfaced area. The retained hawthorn, goat willow and oak trees are intended to continue providing screening from the road.

The site’s position near St Helens Linkway also means that any future activity could be viewed in the context of a wider industrial corridor connecting the M62 motorway with St Helens town centre. The planning material supplied for this report does not provide a traffic assessment or predict any increase in vehicle movements, so no conclusion can be drawn about the effect on local traffic.

What remains unclear after the approval?

The approval confirms that the change of use and associated hardstanding can proceed subject to conditions, but several operational details are not included in the available report summary.

The information does not identify a future occupier or explain precisely how the additional hardstanding will be managed. It also does not state when construction will begin, how long the work will take or whether the approved area will be completed in stages.

The supplied details do not set out the decision’s requirements for drainage, lighting, noise, access, working hours, boundary treatment or construction traffic. These matters may be covered by the conditions attached to the planning permission, but they cannot be confirmed without the complete decision documentation.

The decision also does not mean that every possible industrial activity is automatically authorised. Any later proposal involving a building, a materially different use or changes to access and operations may require additional planning consideration, depending on the details.

What is the background to the development?

The land forms part of Lea Green Business Park at Eurolink, Sutton Manor, within an established industrial estate. The application site is located behind the business park and near Lea Green Road, with the wider estate positioned east of St Helens Linkway.

The officer report records several existing neighbouring uses. A battery storage facility lies to the north, while industrial units are situated to the west, south and east. The southern industrial units are being refurbished, and their hardstanding is being resurfaced under approval obtained last year.

The latest application was made to change the use of the land from agricultural to industrial and to provide additional hardstanding for adjacent industrial units. The submitted proposal included the clearance of grassland and self-seeded trees, while the tree survey plan identified eight trees on neighbouring land for retention: two hawthorns, five goat willows and one oak.

The planning authority approved the proposal subject to conditions. The published report summary states that the retained trees will provide screening along Lea Green Road.

How could the decision affect local residents and businesses?

The immediate effect for local businesses could be the availability of around 4,850 square metres of additional hardstanding connected with the existing industrial estate. Its practical value will depend on how the land is used and on the conditions imposed by the planning authority.

Residents and road users near Lea Green Road may see grassland and self-seeded trees removed as the site is prepared. The retention of the identified trees on neighbouring land is intended to maintain screening, although the available information does not quantify the visual effect of the completed scheme.

Businesses in the surrounding estate may benefit from improved or expanded external space, but the available report does not confirm new jobs, investment levels, additional buildings or changes in traffic. Any prediction about those matters would be speculative unless further details are published by the applicant or planning authority.

For the wider St Helens area, the decision represents another change to land within an existing industrial location. Its longer-term impact will depend on the eventual use of the hardstanding, compliance with planning conditions and whether further applications are submitted for the site.