Development completion marked at Burnley’s £23m Pioneer Place

Burnley’s £23m flagship regeneration scheme, Pioneer Place, has been completed, and two leisure businesses have signed up for units.

Maple Grove Developments, working in partnership with Burnley Council, confirmed the milestone moment.

Preston-based Eric Wright Construction has handed over the site, which has recently attracted tenants including Loungers, Nando’s and Starbucks. The scheme is already anchored by a seven-screen REEL Cinema and includes a 226-space car park.

Deals with two further food and beverage operators are going through legal agreements, which would complete the line-up at Pioneer Place.

Fit-out programmes have now commenced with each of the committed occupiers looking to open in late summer.

The project team includes AEW Architects, structural engineer, Both King Partnership and planning consultant Smith Love.

Pioneer Place has secured funding from Burnley Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, the Government’s Getting Building Fund, administered by Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and fashion company and the borough’s largest employer, boohoo.

Jeremy Hartley, group MD at Eric Wright Group, said: “Pioneer Place is a significant regeneration project which will benefit the people of Burnley and the wider Lancashire area. It’s a place where people will want to come and spend time for years to come and we’re incredibly honoured to have played such a fundamental role in its creation.

“This is one of a multitude of placemaking town centre schemes we as a business have been involved in across Lancashire. The leisure and retail sector has experienced a huge amount of change over the last few years and I couldn’t be more proud of the way in which our teams have worked so collaboratively to ensure that these projects were delivered.”