Maple Grove and Blackburn reunite for Thwaites regen
The developer has been granted a 12-month period of exclusivity to work up proposals for the redevelopment of the former brewery after supermarket Morrisons reneged on a deal to relocate there in 2024.
Following Morrisons decision, Maple Grove sold its stake in the vehicle that had been set up in 2021 to acquire and redevelop the Thwaites site off Penny Lane to the council for £1.6m.
Morrisons was supposed to leave its Railway Road site, which was earmarked for 500 homes. The decision to stay up prompted a rethink for the wider £250m Blackburn town centre masterplan.
Having taken control of the site, Blackburn with Darwen Council set about engaging with the developer market to find an alternative route forward for the town centre site but received “no meaningful interest” other than that from Maple Grove, according to a council report.
Now, the developer has presented a “significant and credible” proposal for the site and has been granted a 12-month period of exclusivity to flesh out those plans.
The scheme is likely to be mixed-use in nature and feature elements of employment, retail, leisure, and housing, in line with council aspirations.
Cllr Quesir Mahmood, deputy leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and executive member for growth and development, said: “The former Thwaites Brewery site offers a major development opportunity that could be hugely beneficial to Blackburn.
“Due to their knowledge of the site and its prime location, Maple Grove Developments has maintained a strong interest and now have what we consider to be a significant and credible opportunity to bring plans forward.
“It’s still very early days, but by agreeing to this exclusivity agreement, Maple Grove can progress to the next steps of design and planning, which require significant investment.
“We look forward to sharing more information as soon as we’re able.”
A spokesperson for Maple Grove Developments said: “We are working with a credible interested party with a view to bringing forward a comprehensive development for this key town centre site.
“The exclusivity agreement agreed with the council provides us with the comfort needed to progress design and planning discussions along with any required approvals”.
Maple Grove is already active nearby with plans to develop a two-building skills campus off Brown Street west of the Thwaites site.
Great site , accessible to motorways and town centre
By George