By Stuart Hicks.
When the new business rates bills for 2019/20 start to land shortly there will be many out there who feel they are shouldering an unfair tax burden.
But no matter how much your own bill might sting, spare a thought for those businesses which have the unfortunate honour of paying the most business rates in the North West.
I have compiled a list of the top 20 business rates payers across the North West and, whilst some of the names on there will be of no surprise there may be a few you don’t expect.
Headlining the Top 20 is Sellafield in Cumbria, with a Rateable Value (RV) of £46.28m, followed by Heysham 2 Power Station in Morecambe attracting an RV of £38.64m.
Business rates are worked out based on a property’s Rateable Value (RV). This is its open market rental value, as of 1 April 2015, based on a valuation produced by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
Manchester Airport came third (RV £27.6m) with fourth spot going to the education sector and The University of Manchester (RV £18.49).
You can see the list for yourself below but it does include an eclectic mix of sectors including power, education, motor industry, leisure and transport.
Manchester United pops up at No 15 for Old Trafford but having read about their latest profits boom, I don’t think their business rates’ bill will be causing them too much trouble.
If you look at the figures another way and segment out retailers across the region – a sector that is constantly in the headlines – then you do find some surprising names heading up the list.
No 1 spot goes to Ikea in Warrington (RV £3.96m) followed by John Lewis Partnership, Cheadle Royal Retail Park, in Cheshire (RV £3.83m). Bronze place goes to Marks & Spencer in Handforth, Wilmslow, (RV £3.45m). Claiming a top 3 place is an honour I’m sure all three would gladly forsake as the retail sector continues to struggle with online competition and other rising costs.
If you are wondering, The Trafford Centre just misses out on a top 3 position, in at No 4, with Asda, and House of Fraser both putting in an appearance as the region’s top retail business rate payers.
| Address | 2017 Rateable Value | |
| 1 | SELLAFIELD LIMITED, SELLAFIELD WORKS, SELLAFIELD, SEASCALE, CUMBRIA, CA20 1PG | £46,280,000 |
| 2 | HEYSHAM 2 POWER STATION, HEYSHAM POWER STATION, MORECAMBE, LANCS, LA3 2XN | £38,640,000 |
| 3 | AIRPORT, MANCHESTER AIRPORT, MANCHESTER, M90 1QX | £27,600,000 |
| 4 | THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, OXFORD ROAD, MANCHESTER, M13 9PL | £18,490,000 |
| 5 | HEYSHAM 1 POWER STATION, HEYSHAM POWER STATION, MORECAMBE, LANCS, LA3 2XQ | £16,720,000 |
| 6 | ESSAR OIL UK LTD (SOUTH SITE), OIL SITES ROAD, ELLESMERE PORT, CH65 4EN | £10,540,000 |
| 7 | LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY, BROWNLOW HILL, LIVERPOOL, L3 5UA | £8,440,000 |
| 8 | CENTER PARCS, WHINFELL FOREST, PENRITH, CUMBRIA, CA10 2DW | £8,291,500 |
| 9 | ASTRAZENECA, CHARTER WAY, MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE, SK10 2NA | £7,550,000 |
| 10 | VIRGIN MEDIA INC PDSL 007/076/077 & LDS 029, SCHOOL LANE, PRESCOT, MERSEYSIDE, L34 9ER | £7,340,000 |
| 11 | MANCHESTER ROYAL INFIRMARY, OXFORD ROAD, MANCHESTER, M13 9WL | £7,290,000 |
| 12 | CARRINGTON POWER STATION, MANCHESTER ROAD, CARRINGTON, MANCHESTER, M31 4AY | £6,530,000 |
| 13 | PORT OF LIVERPOOL, MARITIME CENTRE, SEAFORTH DOCK, LIVERPOOL, L21 1LA | £6,470,000 |
| 14 | 1, HARDMAN BOULEVARD, MANCHESTER, M3 3AQ | £6,300,000 |
| 15 | JAGUAR CARS LTD, SPEKE BOULEVARD, LIVERPOOL, L24 9HZ | £6,250,000 |
| 16 | MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB LTD, SIR MATT BUSBY WAY, MANCHESTER, M16 0RD | £6,090,000 |
| 17 | WHISTON HOSPITAL, WARRINGTON ROAD, PRESCOT, MERSEYSIDE, L35 5DR | £5,960,000 |
| 18 | RUNCORN ENERGY FROM WASTE FACILITY, BARLOW WAY, RUNCORN, CHESHIRE, WA7 4HG | £5,550,000 |
| 19 | IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER & THE METROPOLITAN BOROUGHS OF BURY & TRAFFORD, METROLINK, MANCHESTER, M1 3LD | £5,350,000 |
| 20 | HOPE HOSPITAL, ECCLES OLD ROAD, SALFORD, M6 8HD | £5.340,000 |
RETAIL SECTOR TOP 10:
| ADDRESS | 2017 Rateable Value | |
| 1 | (IKEA) 910, EUROPA BOULEVARD, WESTBROOK, WARRINGTON, WA5 7NT | 3,960,000.00 |
| 2 | JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP, CHEADLE ROYAL RETAIL PARK, WILMSLOW ROAD, CHEADLE, CHESHIRE, SK8 3BZ | 3,830,000.00 |
| 3 | MARKS AND SPENCER, COPPICE WAY, HANDFORTH, WILMSLOW, CHESHIRE, SK9 3PB | 3,450,000.00 |
| 4 | 1 THE DOME, THE TRAFFORD CENTRE, BARTON DOCK ROAD, TRAFFORD PARK, MANCHESTER, M17 8DA | 3,450,000.00 |
| 5 | TESCO EXTRA, WALKDEN TOWN CENTRE, BOLTON ROAD, WORSLEY, MANCHESTER, M28 3TZ | 3,400,000.00 |
| 6 | JOHN LEWIS DEPARTMENT STORE, THE TRAFFORD CENTRE, BARTON DOCK ROAD, TRAFFORD PARK, MANCHESTER, M17 8JL | 3,380,000.00 |
| 7 | MARKS & SPENCER 2, STANNEY WOODS AVENUE, ELLESMERE PORT, CH65 9GZ | 3,300,000.00 |
| 8 | ASDA STORES LTD, SOHO STREET, WIGAN, LANCS, WN5 0XA | 3,170,000.00 |
| 9 | MARKS & SPENCER PLC 7-17, MARKET STREET, MANCHESTER, M1 1PT | 3,000,000.00 |
| 10 | HOUSE OF FRASER 98-116, DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER, M3 2QG | 2,970,000.00 |
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