Revised Botany Bay proposals tabled 

Developer and asset manager FI Real Estate Management has submitted a planning application for 405,000 sq ft of industrial and commercial space on a 21-acre plot at the Chorley site, after scrapping plans for a retail village. 

Last November, Place North West revealed the developer had opted to rehash its plans for part of the wider 91-acre site off junction 8 of the M61, due to the continued decline in the retail sector”. 

Under plans approved by Chorley Council in 2018, FIREM proposed a 250,000 sq ft retail village, as well as further retail and leisure uses within the Botany Bay mill. The wider proposals also featured 300,000 sq ft of logistics space and 288 homes. 

However, the retail component of those plans has now been swapped for additional employment space, spread across 30 units, as the developer looks to take advantage of a booming industrial and logistics market. 

Meanwhile, the existing Botany Bay Mill building would be retained and is to provide 40,000 sq ft of employment space, under the updated plans submitted to Chorley Council.

The original logistics portion of the scheme, as well as the homes, remain unchanged.  

Botany Bay

Earlier proposals for the scheme featured a 250,000 sq ft retail village

The scheme has been designed by architect MCAU and John Francis Planning is the planning consultant.  

A spokesperson for FI Real Estate Management, said: “We’re confident that our proposals for the redevelopment of Botany are not only consistent with the site’s heritage but will also deliver a host of new job and commercial opportunities in Chorley.  

“This sector in the North West has seen continued growth for a sustained period, even throughout the pandemic. We’ve already witnessed a growing interest in the business space offered by these units since our last announcement, having received a number of inbound enquiries from a variety of businesses.” 

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