Blackburn looks to end JV with Maple Grove for Thwaites redevelopment

Executive board members at the local authority are being asked to commit £1.6m to buy out the developer’s stake in the transformation of the former brewery site and to draft a new masterplan.

Maple Grove Blackburn – a joint venture between Blackburn with Darwen Council and Maple Grove Developments – had acquired the six-acre site off Starkie Street in Blackburn in 2021. The JV had ambitions to build up to 500 homes, a cyber skills campus, and a tech innovation district on the site.

Now, it looks like Blackburn with Darwen Council is lining up to do the whole thing alone. The executive board will decide next Thursday whether to buy out Maple Grove’s involvement in the scheme – a move that would enable the local authority to take full control of the £250m project.

Maple Grove director Andrew Dewhurst said that the decision would not impact the developer’s relationship, and other joint venture projects, with the council.

“We have a really good partnership in place with Blackburn with Darwen Council, which we look forward to developing further in the years ahead,” he said.

“We recognise, however, that this is the right time for the council to take full control of this major development site and move forward with their plans for its future.”

Simon Jones, growth programme director at the council, said taking full ownership of the redevelopment of the brewery site was “incredibly important”.

“We want to now update our masterplan for the area, anchored by our new education and skills campus, and want to explore new opportunities including commercial, leisure and town centre uses,” he said.

“This is a huge opportunity for the future of Blackburn town centre and one we want to be very much in the driving seat for.”

The change in ownership was sparked by the change of mind of supermarket chain Morrisons. The grocer announced in March that it would not relocate its store off Railway Road to the Thwaites site. It had been lined up to occupy a 52,900 sq ft block in the heart of the scheme. This would have opened up the former site of the supermarket for the desired houses to be delivered.

Losing Morrisons necessitated a rethink of the plan, one that Blackburn with Darwen Council is looking to appoint architect BDP to do. The local authority said it hoped to consult on BDP’s updated masterplan next year.

In addition to paying £1.6m to Maple Grove Developments so as to take full control of the site, the council said it was also hoping to secure approval for an additional £1m to help cover further land assembly, enabling works, and masterplan work.