The first steel frame for a major new employment scheme in Skelmersdale is in place, as contractor
Caddick Construction makes progress for client
Tawd Valley Developments (TVD). The £14 million Junction 4 development at White Moss Business Park will provide 45 new business units capable of sustaining up to 125 jobs.
Mark Kitts of Tawd Valley Developments explained: “This is a key plan in our remit to boost the economy of West Lancashire and the employment opportunities for local residents. In recent years developers’ focus has been on ‘big box’ schemes, whereas the mainstay of the Skelmersdale market has generally been smaller industrial units and trade counters. We can plug that gap with best-in-class units right on junction 4 of the M58. Units will range in size from 150m
2 to 321m
2, and will have the benefit of lower energy costs for occupiers as the scheme will include an array of rooftop solar panels.”
The developer, wholly-owned by West Lancashire Borough Council, has a wide remit from the local authority to boost the area’s housing and employment stock, and was recently appointed by the council in the role of master developer for the £150 million redevelopment of Skelmersdale town centre.
Other projects to be delivered for the authority include a new solar farm to provide energy directly to the grid and to local employers and several housing schemes in Skelmersdale and Upholland, providing residential quality, and choice for the residents of West Lancashire.
TVD is also supporting the council with its own accommodation strategy approved in 2025 by orchestrating the implementation of a plan to identify efficiencies and realise cost savings across the council’s current office accommodation portfolio.
Economic regenerationCouncillor Melissa Parlour, lead member for economic regeneration and green growth, said: "Tawd Valley Developments have helped us identify a key market requirement when it comes to boosting business in the borough. Economic regeneration is a top priority for us as a council and local businesses have repeatedly told us that the shortage of small industrial units is holding back their ability to grow. Rather than wait for an external developer to step in, we’ve taken direct action drawing on Tawd Valley’s expertise to tackle this clear market gap."
She continued: “By creating the kind of space our businesses say they need, this scheme will support expansion, attract new investment into Skelmersdale and ultimately help create new jobs and opportunities for local people. The junction 4 development and the Skelmersdale Masterplan are testament to our big ambitions for this borough’s future."
The project was procured through the NEPO Construction Works framework, which enables the efficient procurement of a range of new build projects for local authorities and public sector bodies across the UK.
Dave Saville, regional managing director of Caddick Construction North West, said: “We have delivered a huge range of industrial developments of all shapes and sizes across the north west, supporting our clients’ ambitions to serve the diverse needs of the region’s businesses. We are very proud to be appointed to White Moss Business Park through the NEPO Construction Works framework, and to be creating space that will allow local SMEs to thrive while contributing to local employment.
Fundamental to our work on site are our local supply chain partners, with which we will work to ensure Tawd Valley’s investment serves the people of Skelmersdale and the wider West Lancashire area.” Junction 4 has been designed by John McCall Architects and ARP Engineering with Ridge and Partners as the employer’s agent. Work is expected to be completed in December 2026.