Start nears for £26m Botany Bay industrial 

FI Construction will begin delivering the 405,000 sq ft Chorley development this month.

Chorley Council granted FI Real Estate Management permission for the £26m industrial development in July. 

Located close to Junction 8 of the M61 in Chorley, the scheme will comprise 33 units for light industrial and commercial use, ranging from 1,000 sq ft to 164,000 sq ft. 

Earlier plans for a 70-store retail village on the site were scrapped in 2020 due to changing shopping trends sped up by the pandemic. 

The 21-acre first phase has been designed by architect MCAU and John Francis Planning is the planning consultant.    

The site is close to the Botany Bay mill building, which could be redeveloped in a later phase of the project. 

An additional 300,000 sq ft of logistics space and 288 homes also feature within FIREM’s long-term plans for the site. 

Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM, said the Botany Bay development was one of the most important in the company’s 40-year history.  

“We want to create the highest quality industrial and commercial space for local businesses and those from further afield looking to make Lancashire their home. 

“Botany Bay is an iconic location and the development will be built in two phases. The construction costs for phase one will be £26m and the fit-out costs will add an estimated 10 per cent to the total bill.” 

The Botany Bay development forms part of FIREM’s growing pipeline of new-build projects across the UK. The company is aiming to deliver 5m sq ft of commercial space over the next five years.