Proposed Industrial & Logistics Development
Public consultation for Catalyst Business Park on Widnes Waterfront
FI Real Estate Management is bringing forward proposals for a modern industrial and logistics scheme at Widnes Waterfront, offering flexible space from 1,000 to 500,000 sq ft. To comment, please review the details contained on this page and then click the ‘Have Your Say’ button.
About the development
FI Real Estate Management is bringing forward proposals for a new industrial and logistics development at Widnes Waterfront. The scheme will deliver flexible, future-ready accommodation to support economic growth, investment and job creation in the region. Once fully developed, the proposals will deliver a number of benefits including significant new landscaping and tree-planting, and around 2,250 new jobs.
We will shortly submit a planning application to Halton Borough Council seeking approval for up to 170,000 sq m of employment floorspace, alongside landscaping, tree-planting, drainage, cycleways, footpaths and roads, and other related matters. This planning application is scheduled for submission in Q4 2025, with a decision anticipated in Q2 2026. This consultation provides an opportunity for local residents, businesses and stakeholders to review and comment on the proposals before they are finalised.
The site
Halton Council has long identified the Widnes Waterfront site for regeneration, and the site has been allocated for employment and mixed use development for a number of years. However, the Widnes Waterfront site has remained undeveloped for many decades. As a result, the site attracts anti-social behaviour including fly-tipping. The site is situated adjacent to the existing Gorsey Lane industrial estates, alongside the Mersey Estuary, upstream of both the Mersey SSSI and the Mersey Estuary RAMSAR site.
FI Real Estate Management has prepared a development strategy to deal with these issues to enable development to come forward and deliver a true regeneration opportunity whilst providing indirect benefits the wider area.
Planning and development approach
By developing the site in phases, we believe that we can deliver long-lasting economic regeneration and provide the necessary environmental biodiversity improvements. If successful, our planning application will establish the principle of employment floorspace and enable us to bring forward the necessary ground remediation, landscaping, tree-planting, drainage, utilities, pathways and roads required to develop the site. Separate planning applications for short-term temporary uses on parts of the site, such as open storage, will enable us to work up these long-term employment generating plans.
A full suite of technical documents will be provided to support our planning application, including a Transport Assessment and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment has been agreed with Halton Borough Council and will cover a comprehensive range of issues including socio-economics, traffic and transport, ecology and biodiversity, human health, water environment, ground conditions, air quality and dust, noise and vibration, landscape and visual impacts. The EIA will consider each issue and potential cumulative effects, both within the scheme and combined with other development elsewhere.
The development site and planning application will extend across the borough boundary into Warrington Borough and a parallel submission will be made, including agreement on the scope of the EIA.
Building design
While our planning application will not include details of building design at this stage, modern industrial buildings are designed to the latest low-energy and environmental standards. FI Real Estate Management has substantial experience in creating buildings to accommodate a variety of industrial and logistics uses including space for high-bay racking, mezzanines and modern fit-outs.
Scheme sustainability
Sustainability is a core focus of the scheme. The development will target a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ sustainability rating, delivering energy-efficient buildings that reduce long-term operational costs for occupiers.
Access & highways
The site benefits from excellent connectivity, located just 6 minutes from the M62 and 15 minutes from the M6, offering direct access to Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester and the wider motorway network. Liverpool Airport and Liverpool Docks are also close by, enhancing logistics potential.
A full Transport Assessment will support the planning application, ensuring safe and efficient access for HGVs, cars, and active travel users, with sustainable travel options considered throughout.
Key benefits
The Widnes Waterfront site has remained under-utilised for more than 50 years. By bringing this site back into productive use, our proposals will deliver an extensive range of social, environmental and economic benefits. These include:
- Regeneration of this disused site
- Reducing anti-social behaviour associated with the site
- Delivery of around 2,250 permanent jobs, including skilled, engineering and management posts
- Substantial new planting and landscaping to create new biodiversity and wildlife habitats
Have your say
We’re committed to engaging with the local community as the proposals are developed. Before we submit our planning application, we welcome your views on the scheme and encourage feedback from local residents, businesses, community groups and other stakeholders.
Please use the form below to submit your comments during the consultation period. All feedback received will be reviewed and taken into consideration before the planning application is finalised.
The data you provide is being collected by FI Real Estate Management (who can be contacted on 01257 263010 or dpo@aceparkgroup.co.uk). The lawful basis for processing this data is Legitimate Interests for the purposes of this consultation, to gather your opinion on the proposals and to enable us to contact you regarding the project in the future. You can opt out of any contact by ticking the box above or contacting us at any time. You do not have to provide any personal data in order to comment on this proposal. We will not publish or share your personal data with any third parties except the project team where appropriate. A copy of the comments that you make regarding the proposal will be provided to the Local Planning Authority as part of the planning process and so that it can note the comments made, but no personal data will be shared, other than any personal data you choose to put in the comments section. Your personal data will be stored securely for the lifetime of the project which will be until the development is complete or a decision is made not to progress the project. You have the right to access, amend, object and remove the data we hold about you at any time.