The story at the time was Pilks owned most of the land around Pewfall, the proposed site for the Ford Factory, but in all honesty it was never going to be built there, it was a Government decision to open at Speke, with hundreds of Millions from the treasury.
As for problems at Fords I could go on at length, about how production was regulated by strikes instigated by management, thousands of folk from St Helens worked at Speke, no a factory at Pewfall would not have made any difference to industrial relations, things only improved when the Japanese opened factories with a no strike policy from management.
Having read this thread ......what a shambles St Helens Council has been and remains !! Astonished at some of the chances thrown away.
Learned comment from The Don
This might help, great band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoke1wUwEXY
Am I a glass half full type of person? Yes ! But every now and then, some bugger knocks my drink over!
"If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?"
"Lots of planets have a North !"