£15.5m investment to create almost 1,000 jobs

A £15.5m loan is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs and enable the transformation of the former Halewood International headquarters in Huyton.Under the plan, Network Space, which acquired the 473,612 sq ft Sovereign Distillery site when Halewood International closed its Huyton head office in August 2020, will create a multi-let industrial estate aimed at light industrial, logistics and SME occupiers.Combined Authority funding for the project is made up of a £6.75m loan from the Liverpool City Region Urban Development Fund (UDF) and £8.7m from the Chrysalis Fund, which is managed on behalf of the Combined Authority by igloo Investment Management.Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Investing in a project like this, which will create almost 1,000 jobs for local people and bring this site back into use, really is a no brainer.”It will give a big boost to Knowsley and the wider city region economy, and the returns it will generate means that we’ll be able to reap the rewards and reinvest in new projects.”More than 2,000 tonnes of carbon will be saved by creating the new industrial estate through part demolition, part refurbishment and part new build strategy. It will use sustainable construction methods in tandem with adopting low carbon initiatives including EV charging, potential solar panels and low energy lighting.The repurposing proposals will be undertaken in two phases. The planning application for phase one has already been submitted and is due for determination in the next couple of months with phase two planning expected to be submitted in early 2023