Wigan Council has formally opposed Tritax's 500-acre Intermodal Logistics Park North, the St Helens scheme tipped to absorb Freightliner's Trafford Park terminal — and it now has an increasingly awkward political backdrop, with former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, once a supporter of the relocation, sitting in Downing Street.

The council unanimously backed a motion on 23 September opposing the development insofar as it affects land in Wigan Borough and communities around Lowton, citing local impacts, loss of protected land and doubts over whether sufficient direct benefits would accrue locally. Around 180 acres (73ha) of the scheme lie within Wigan, although most of the development sits in neighbouring St Helens.

The stakes for rail freight are considerable. ILP North, also known as Parkside, would deliver a terminal capable of handling up to 16 trains a day alongside some 8.2 million sq ft (about 762,000 sq m) of warehousing. Tritax is promoting it as a nationally significant infrastructure project, which means the final decision rests with the UK government after examination by the Planning Inspectorate — placing the scheme's fate, eventually, in the hands of a Prime Minister whose position on it has shifted.

What does the Trafford Park relocation involve?

Greater Manchester Combined Authority has commissioned work on a business case for the "relocation of Freightliner from Trafford Park to ILP North (St Helens)" under Project Slate. A separate GMCA contract refers to the potential relocation as Project Quarry.

The proposed move is tied to regeneration plans around Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium. Burnham, as mayor, worked with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram on the relocation, which would free the Trafford Park site for wider redevelopment. But moving the terminal alone does not solve Manchester's rail capacity problem. Transport for the North says the Castlefield corridor remains congested, with additional infrastructure needed to accommodate further freight generated by the TransPennine Route Upgrade.

The strategic case for ILP North rests partly on its access to both the West Coast Main Line and the Manchester–Liverpool Chat Moss route. Transport for the North says terminals such as ILP North, and a separate development at Port Salford, are needed to prevent additional Manchester-bound freight from being forced through Castlefield. Tritax says the site could create up to 6,000 jobs and form part of the Liverpool City Region Freeport.

How serious is the local opposition?

Wigan's stance is the most concrete obstacle so far. The council's motion targets the northern slice of the site, but its unanimity signals the depth of local concern.

Road impacts are becoming a significant issue in parallel. Tritax's traffic modelling estimates heavy goods vehicle movements would principally use the M6, M62 and A580, with the site accessed directly from M6 Junction 22 via the proposed Parkside Link Road. Local representatives have warned traffic could also affect Winwick, Croft, Lowton and surrounding communities.

Has the Prime Minister changed his position?

The political picture has become notably less straightforward. David Baines, now MP for St Helens North, has backed the Parkside proposal, saying: "Labour have recognised this potential for a long time and that's why we've worked so hard for so many years to transform this former colliery site."

Burnham, by contrast, supported the Trafford Park relocation as mayor but subsequently indicated to councils he would back the Tritax proposals only if mitigation was provided for Lowton. He is now Prime Minister and MP for neighbouring Makerfield — a constituency directly affected by the development's traffic and land-use impacts.

Could Port Salford take the strain instead?

Port Salford offers another potential piece of the answer. Greater Manchester has identified both the Peel Ports development — just west of Manchester on the Manchester Ship Canal — and ILP North as future freight terminals. Peel continues to work with Network Rail and other partners on the Port Salford rail connection. Its planned terminal is also designed for up to 16 trains a day, and the site has previously been promoted as a tri-mode terminal combining river, road and rail. The rail spur, however, remains undelivered.

For shippers and forwarders moving containers through Liverpool and Manchester, the implications are practical: the region's rail freight capacity is already tight, Castlefield remains a bottleneck, and the two terminal projects that could relieve it are both years from delivery.

Tritax plans further consultation on highways, noise and air quality in early 2027, followed by a Development Consent Order application in the second quarter. That timetable keeps the scheme alive, but with Wigan opposed, the Prime Minister's support now conditional, and Port Salford's rail link unbuilt, whether Trafford Park's replacement will actually be at Parkside remains far from settled.