A PROPOSED £180 million distribution hub in south Warrington is being tipped to help ‘future-proof’ the town’s economy.

Residents are being invited to view the latest proposals for the strategic employment site, named Six 56 Warrington, following two public workshops last year.

The two additional drop-in sessions take place next week – with the first at Grappenhall Community Centre and the second at Golden Square shopping centre.

If built, the hub would be located next to junction 20 of the M6 and junction nine of the M56 in Lymm.

However, it would see a huge chunk of the borough’s green belt land released.

But John Downes, group chief executive of Warrington-based Langtree, which is promoting the site for development with Panattoni, says it would help to ‘future-proof’ the borough’s economy.

“We received a lot of very constructive feedback from people who live and work locally and these updated plans reflect that,” he said.

“People were keen to understand how investment in road infrastructure would improve the local network and our new proposals, if accepted, would see new investment in road capacity around the site.

“Our purpose is to facilitate quick access to and from the motorway junction so that there’s no additional pressure on local roads.”

Langtree and Pannatoni expect the hub to deliver 4,100 jobs – a drop of 800 jobs from the initial projection.

Furthermore, the developers say calculations by economists predict it will generate £7.1m a year in business rates for Warrington Borough Council, along with ‘millions more’ in wages and supplier purchases.

Mr Downes adds: “There’ll be everything from entry-level operatives to supply chain managers and skilled technicians.

“The average salary in the sector is nearly £28,000 and there’s something for everyone in the type of jobs that will be created.

“Furthermore, Langtree will seek to ensure that the local supply chain benefits from the new jobs created.

“We want Warrington to benefit further from our investment and are committed to working with partners to ensure as many contracts as possible during the construction phase go to local firms.”

Langtree and Panattoni are bringing forward their proposals in response to the council’s emerging local plan.

A planning application for the site – which is expected to cost £180 million to build – is due to be submitted before the summer.

It could begin operating by summer 2021.

The first drop-in consultation event takes place at Grappenhall Community Centre, on Bellhouse Lane, next Thursday from 2pm to 7pm, with the second taking place outside the customer information point in Golden Square shopping centre next Friday from noon to 5.30pm.

For more information visit six56warrington.co.uk