Costa, Greggs, and Central Co-op sign up to Chorley business park
FI Real Estate Management has confirmed all three will be taking space at the £220m Botany Bay development.
The trio are expected to open at the 7,222 sq ft location off the M61 by early 2025.
FIREM is developing 33 units totalling 405,386 sq ft of space during phase one of the project.
In December, planning approval was secured for phase two which involves 322,560 sq ft of industrial space with work to begin shortly.
The site’s largest industrial unit, Block E, which totals 158,360 sq ft, is now ready for enquiries and viewings, according to FIREM, with another 129,000 sq ft in legals, expected to complete by the end of the first quarter.
FIREM has funded transport and infrastructure enhancements around the site, Junction 8 of the M61 and the Hartwood Roundabout area via a Section 106 agreement.
This work is being co-ordinated and delivered with Lancashire County Council.
Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM said: “It’s encouraging to see interest really ramping up on the site now and as we near the completion on our first four blocks, we are seeing first-hand how the site is addressing the need for high-quality industrial, warehousing and commercial space in Chorley.”
The wider Botany Bay scheme has been designed by architect MCAU with John Francis Planning the planning consultant.
As well as the industrial space, the later phases for the project include the development of 288 homes.
This is one ugly development.
The way one of the new warehouses obscures the old mill is ill thought out. It overwhelms it.
By Katie
A major part of Chorley’s green belt is set to go.
By Mark Webb
Couldn’t agree more Katie!
By Dover
Truly terrible eye sore the whole thing, coming around the roundabout to the m61 its shocking!
By Jimmy
This is great news. Being local its good to see how this has developed at speed and to get something for the locality, i.e. Greggs and Costa, this side of Chorley is great. They will provide a good meeting place for myself as a business owner due to how convenient it is. Despite the local opposition, it looks good and has no caused any issues with traffic to date.
By Nick P
@Mark Webb, this site does not sit in the green belt, in fact there is pretty much zero green belt to the east of the M61 at Chorley
By red rose
I agree with Katie and others with regards to the aesthetics and impact on the .I’ll area in particular , no thought about the historical connections of this area it all could have been designed mire sympathetically with regard to the mill but of course cramming the most square metres of build on the site is paramount to firms like FIREM. I am all for progress , growth and resultant jobs but all Chorley Council see is all the business rates it will attract for them to the detriment of other fundamental issues like history and preserving some open areas of greenbelt land. Take note next thing they will be after developing the other side of the canal right up to Blackburn Old Road and up to the edge of Wheelton if they haven’t already thought of or submitted planning for ! People like Nick who selfishly are only concerned with ‘ a handy place to meet ‘ are typical of the selfish and short sighted approach people have who don’t live or spend time in the area and would be the first to moan if it happened near them.
By Nigel G
This is barely “good” news. One tacky low quality and massively unhealthy food vendor (greggs) and the other no better food wise and the worst coffee in the UK (costa). Both mass produced junk food. The little Coop supermarket will be good addition. I agree with others this development looks ugly. It will go the way of that digital hub on Euxton Lane – shamefully covered in green mould already.
By Anonymous
We live on hartwood estate and would much rather have had the retail village that was first suggested than a industrial estate just think of the visitor’s it would have brought to Chorley
By Steve
Nick P. You haven’t a clue have you. What you see is just the first (small) part of what they’re doing. Large green fields are being removed on the left of Millenium Way leading up to Botany Bay. Huge Industrial Units on the quagmire that this is!!?? Units all the way to the top of Blackburn Road. But hey, they’ve said they might put a green roof on so the view’s better.
What %age off the value of your house would you accept for an industrial unit in front of you??
By AndyM
Living in the suburbs looks so bleak
By Anonymous
Hope this new development dose not take the heart out of Chorley. This has happened in Wigan and we now travel to Chorley for our weekly shopping. Chorley Town is warm and friendly and full of heart.
By Anonymous
Whilst I take Nick P’s point about the enormous social and economic benefits of being able to treat his business clients to some awesome corporate hospitality at Greggs, I don’t think this outweighs the huge negative costs that other ‘locals’ are paying in terms of loss of natural and environmental amenity. The Section 106 money for ‘improvements’ to the motorway junction might help (presumably after 12 months of congestion hell whilst it’s built) but it would be a travesty if none of that 106 budget was spent on improving access and routes for cyclists and walkers. The section of towpath between Botany Brow up to the A674 was a really popular walk for many people in the area, providing space to a pleasant green corridor centred around the historic mill (the setting of which has been obliterated by the development), but that pleant amenity has currently been destroyed by the fencing right up the edge of the towpath – I really hope that is temporary and eventually enough room will be given at the back of the towpath for people to pass. As things are, the development works have effectively closed a safe cycle route into Chorley from Wheelton along the canal (its too narrow with the fencing) forcing cyclists to continue along the A674 to the motorway junction. The aesthetic character of the (Grade 2 listed) mill, as someone already pointed out, has been trashed, and the future work is going to have a huge impact on the semi-rural character of the canal corridor. Big shame. In short, the development is hideous and most unwelcome. Nick P is right about there not having been much noticeable increase in traffic – I wonder if that has anything to do with none of the hideous new boxes (unworthy of being called buildings) having tenants yet…
By Capt Unhappy