Following staggering levels of support from the Wirral community and surrounding local authorities, The Peel Group has been granted planning permission to build an international trade centre within the Wirral Waters development at Birkenhead Docks.

The Peel International Trade Centre (Peel ITC) will comprise of a series of multi-purpose buildings constructed in phases providing a total floor area of approximately 230,000 square metres (2,500,000 square feet) and a total investment of approximately £175 million. This facility will include trade showrooms to display, promote and sell wholesale products to customers from the UK and Europe.

The Peel ITC will help raise the profile of the Northwest to an international level and will be the catalyst for the regeneration of Wirral by creating many local employment opportunities.

Commenting on the decision, Lindsey Ashworth, Development Director at Peel Holdings said, “This is a fantastic decision for the people in Wirral who have been 100% behind the idea since proposals were announced at the beginning of this year.The Peel ITC will help kick-start the main Wirral Waters scheme at East Float for which planning permission was granted at the end of last year.

“Our vision is for the long term regeneration of Merseyside and the Northwest by attracting international investment and through the Peel ITC this could be the start that we so desperately need.”

David Percival MBE, UKTI Head of Investment Teams, China said, "On behalf of UKTI I am delighted Peel’s International Trade Centre has been granted planning permission. It has been my pleasure to work with Peel to get the project to this stage. UKTI works to attract world class foreign companies to invest in the UK which is a perfect fit with the goals of the Peel ITC. I look forward to working with Peel to attract such companies from China that I am sure will deliver significant economic benefits including hundreds of jobs to the Wirral, The North West and the UK."

Frank Field Labour MP for Birkenhead said “The whole council has made I believe a correct decision in backing Peel to develop along the lines of Wirral Waters. The Peel ITC is the first step in achieving the dream that was outlined in Wirral Waters.”

As the first of its kind in the UK and the largest and most sustainable international trade centre in Europe this phased development once completed will enable over 1000 companies from emerging economies such as China, South Korea and India to trade exclusively with the wholesale market.

The status of Enterprise Zone recently awarded by the Government is an added benefit to the Peel ITC as all overseas businesses will pay substantially reduced local taxes for the first five years of occupation.

MP Esther McVey said, “I am delighted to give my wholehearted support to the International Trade Centre proposals, this development links the creation of jobs, many for local people to the bringing in of overseas businesses to Wirral particularly from China, a process that is supported by the Government. The Governments (David Cameron) visits to Beijing and the granting of Enterprise Zone status for Wirral Waters and the Peel ITC site are all part of making this project a huge success.”

Already attracting substantial interest in China, Stella Shiu, a high-ranking member of the Chinese government and Chairman of multi-million dollar company Sam Wa Minerals, are to be Peel’s joint venture partner for phase one of the Peel ITC.

Stella said, “Sam Wa is delighted to be Peel’s partner in this exciting development, working in close collaboration with Peel to attract Chinese investors and tenants to the site. With support from Sam Wa’s UK team including legal advisors Martineau and Loynton, Sam Wa has built strong links between China and the UK at the highest levels, and we are already seeing huge interest in China to the idea of coming to the Wirral.

“What is attractive is Peel’s vision of the northwest emerging as a new “super region”, with economic development at the heart of this regeneration scheme, and also Peel’s commitment to sustainability which will ensure the Peel ITC embraces the latest green technologies available. This scheme will certainly put the Wirral firmly on the map, not just for Chinese businesses and investors but for UK and European businesses as well. Now we have plannng perrmission, we can look forward to the area becoming a trading hub which will lead to employment prospects and business opportunities for people in the UK, Europe and world-wide."

Wirral Council Leader, Cllr Steve Foulkes said: “The decision to grant planning consent to the Peel ITC is an important and exciting step towards a development which will bring new business, jobs and millions of pounds of investment to the Borough as well as providing a catalyst for investors in the wider Wirral Waters site. The granting of this consent means that Peel, and we as the Local Authority will do all we can to support them, can get on with attracting investors and future occupiers to both the Peel ITC and East Float so that Wirral’s economy and our residents can begin to feel the benefit from such a major investment and jobs creator.”