A LISTED building could be demolished as part of Newton's Parkside development if plans are given the go ahead Documents submitted to St Helens Council outline plans to knock down Newton Park Farm Manor House, a Grade II listed building in Newton Park Drive.

If plans are approved, the historical building that dates back to the 12th century, will be demolished with the salvaged materials being used for new projects such as building offices and a visitors' centre for the planned country park.

Developer, Astral, hopes to use a mix of original and new materials to create new office blocks for the staff at the proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange - a site that has been used as a spoil heap for at least 17 years.

The proposed visitors' centre would be based at the edge of the colliery spoil heap and would also be made of new and used stone.

The centre would include an exhibition space and toilets, along with an additional office for staff.

The £400 million development to transform the greenbelt land into a 24-hour operational site has proved controversial, and residents have protested about the estimated 500,000 lorry movements at site every year.

It is expected that the 640-acre site will create 1,000 jobs, which in turn could result in improvements to the public transport.

The public consultation for the applications has now ended and the decision now lies with St Helens Council.