FIREM unveils plans for 1.2m sq ft Chorley business park

The Stanworth Land scheme would be delivered across 100 acres of Green Belt fields at Junction 3 of the M65 in an effort to meet the “currently unmet local demand” for logistics space in Lancashire.

FI Real Estate Management has launched a consultation on its plans to create a business park at Stanworth Farm in Chorley, totalling 1.2m sq ft of commercial and logistics space. The consultation can be accessed at stanworthland.co.uk, with a planning application expected early next year.

Proposals are made up of two commercial units providing up to 533,500 sq ft and 752,700 sq ft respectively, accessed via a new junction off Finnington Lane.

Both units would provide offices, welfare facilities, a staff canteen, and changing rooms

Sustainability-wise, the warehouses will be designed to achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating, while around 50% of the site would remain undeveloped and landscaped to increase the biodiversity of the land.

Measures such as cycle spaces and electric vehicle charging bays would also be implemented to encourage sustainable travel to and from the employment park.

Although situated in the Green Belt, the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan has identified Chorley’s M65 corridor as an opportunity to meet future employment needs.

It is estimated that the development could deliver up to 1,200 jobs and generate up to £3.4m per year in business rates.

Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM, stated that Stanworth Land has the potential to be a “key source of high-quality employment” for the borough.

“The kinds of companies likely to be looking to locate here will be large and well-known companies able to offer skills development, training, apprenticeships, and career progression for local people.

“This development can be a game-changer, ensuring Chorley and Blackburn can take advantage of proximity to the motorway network, meet employment demands, attract new businesses to the area, and match a currently unmet local demand for large-scale logistics space.”

Elsewhere in Chorley, FIREM is currently on site constructing the first phase of its £220m Botany Bay redevelopment having just this week received planning permission for phase two. In all, the project will deliver almost 1m sq ft of employment space across three phases.