A project to create a huge new supermarket warehouse on one of Bolton’s key industrial sites has taken another step forward.
The longstanding plans will see a Lidl distribution centre built on the Logistics North site in Over Hulton, just off the M61 and near Cutacre Country Park.
Now further details have been released about the effect that the building work could have on employment and skills throughout Bolton.
A statement from Lidl GB said: “The main contractor and its supply chain will be encouraged to actively participate in the employment, skills development and training of local people.
“They will also be encouraged to use a locally-sourced supply chain as far as possible.”
It added: “During the tender process, Lidl will ask the potential main contractors to demonstrate how they will prioritise local labour.”
Lidl GB says that would-be contractors working on the site will be asked what proportion of their workforces are typically locally recruited for projects like these and what their experience of working with apprentices has been.
They will also be asked if they offer work placements and whether they offer any other kinds of training.
The site, known as Cutacre, is a former shallow tunnel and opencast coal mine, where over one million tonnes of coal was extracted between 2006 and 2011 when operations ceased at the site
The masterplan for the current use of the site was put in motion in 2014, when Harworth Estates was granted permission to develop 102 hectares as part of a phased employment scheme.
As well as the supermarket hub the Logistics North site is also set to include a new hotel as well as a shop, food and drink facilities and other services on what is already one of the largest industrial sites of its kind.
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It is already home to major distribution hubs for other companies like Amazon and Aldi.
The plan for the Lidl distribution centre was approved in August 2019 with the company claiming that the expansion could help create around 500 new jobs.
The most recent stage of the plan, the employment and skills statement, was put before Bolton Council on Wednesday May 24 this year.
The authority will decide whether to approve this phase of the plan by Wednesday July 19.
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