ROYAL Mail could stay in Liverpool and build one of its three new distribution centres in the city, the Daily Post can reveal.

Last month, the company announced plans to close its Copperas Hill sorting office and move 600 jobs to Warrington.

It planned to transfer its Liverpool and Crewe operations to the town and open another centre there.

But strong efforts by city agencies and local MPs mean the Royal Mail has now agreed to consider building a new centre in Liverpool.

In a letter sent to Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman – and seen by the Daily Post – Christine Nolan, Royal Mail’s head of external relations in the North, said the company was reconsidering.

She wrote: “In our preferred option, we identified the current Regional Distribution Centre in Warrington as our proposed third mail centre site, where work would be concentrated from Crewe and Liverpool.

“However, during the recent extended consultation phase we have held productive meetings with Liverpool Vision and Liverpool 2020 and they are working on a revised proposal to build a third new mail centre in Liverpool to house the Liverpool and Crewe operation, and we have agreed to look at that.

“So today, we can also confirm our decision to transfer work from both Crewe and Liverpool Mail Centres.

“We will continue to evaluate the option for the third mail centre site, which will be located in either Warrington or Liverpool, and no final decision will be made until we have completed our work with Liverpool Vision.”

Royal Mail started reviewing its North West operation in February. Last month, they announced plans to open three modern mail centres and close other sorting offices.

The company remains committed to housing two of the centres in Manchester and Preston.

The city council and Liverpool Vision estimate £26m will be lost from the city’s economy if the Warrington move went ahead.

Mrs Ellman said: “The letter says no final decision will be made until the end of talks with Liverpool Vision. It means they are looking seriously at the options.

“I think that’s quite significant.”

Last week, the city’s economic chiefs met with Royal Mail to discuss the plans. Mark Walsh, Liverpool branch secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said: “I’ve seen the document that’s been put forward.

“We’ve really gone to town pulling the costs down to make it more favourable. It’s been tailored a bit more – it’s specific for Liverpool’s needs.

“I hope it would safeguard the 600 process and distribution jobs.”

The proposed scheme is a scaled-down version of a previous plan floated to Royal Mail by the CWU, Mr Walsh said.

The plans being discussed are understood to cost £20m – around £7m less than the package originally suggested by the CWU.

Royal Mail are considering plans for three sites, two on the Estuary Business Park, in Speke, and another on Stonebridge Park, on the East Lancs Road.

Two of the sites – the Vault in Speke and at Stonebridge – already have buildings that Royal Mail could move into. But the third site is thought to be a vacant lot.

Cllr Warren Bradley, Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council, said the council’s executive board asked the regeneration agencies Liverpool Vision and Liverpool 2020 to approach Royal Mail and try to hammer out a plan to keep their presence in the city around four weeks ago.

Cllr Bradley added: “Our responsibility is the jobs that would be lost to Liverpool.

“They [Royal Mail] are tentative at the moment – nothing’s set in stone, but we’re working hard to save those jobs. It’s up to Royal Mail to say how many they would need.

“I’m reasonably confident because I do believe that with our partners, as a council we should be able to do a deal to keep a company the size of Royal Mail in the city.”

Cllr Bradley added that, while he was keen for a large project to go to North Liverpool to kick-start regeneration there, Royal Mail identified the Estuary as a good site because of its rail links.

Liverpool Vision declined to comment last night.