Tetra Tech delivered masterplanning, architecture, project management, cost consultancy and principal designer services for the 4 million ft² Logistics North employment park across a 250-acre former surface-mine site to deliver one of the most high-profile logistics and manufacturing schemes in the North West.
The quality of the development and the site’s excellent location at the heart of the region’s motorway network has been key to attracting some of the world’s leading logistics companies including Aldi, Amazon, Lidl and Whistl, where 5,500 people are now employed on site. One of the unique attributes of Logistics North is the 550-acre Country Park that we planned and constructed, providing unique surroundings for businesses and further providing the employees and local residents with a recreation opportunity with 18 kilometres of new footpaths, bridleways and cycle paths.
Once fully developed, the site is expected to deliver over £300m of Gross Value Added to the local economy in addition to over 7,000 jobs.
Challenge
Preparation for the development required our teams to resolve many conflicting facets caused by the restoration of decommissioned mining facilities. This was made even more complex due to the land sitting within the boundaries of three adjoining councils (Bolton, Wigan and Salford).
Bringing forward the development land, as well as the creation of a 550-acre country park, brought many coordination challenges and complex planning conditions relating to ecology, watercourse diversion, third party rights and the most complicated re-scheduling of Public Rights of Way in the UK.
The complex delivery strategy had to satisfy legislation and approving authorities, and approach had to be able to provide flexibility for the marketing of the development and access for the occupiers.
Solution
The key to success when delivering such a complex project with a large and diverse team was to create effective reporting combined with strong communication, allowing informed decision-making throughout the project.
We promoted a collaborative, positive and flexible team ethic to react to the demands of a changing overall development strategy, whilst considering the need for specific deliverables to be met and integrated into the overall project plan.
At a glance
Client
Logistics North
Location
Bolton, UK
Services
Architecture, civil and structural engineering, cost consultancy, cost management, employers agent, landscape architecture, masterplanning, principal designer, project management, quantity surveying, structural engineering
The project featured in this article was undertaken by RPS, A Tetra Tech Company and originally published on RPSgroup.com. In March 2026 RPS rebranded to Tetra Tech.