Green light for phase two of £100m Botany Hill Business Park
Chorley developer and asset management company, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), has been granted permission for phase two of its £100m Botany Hill Business Park scheme, which will create 500 jobs at the industrial setting.
The redevelopment of one of Lancashire’s most iconic sites involves the creation of 68 units and 309,060 sq ft of industrial space on the park, at Botany Bay, on the hill next to the historic Mill building.
More than 250 enquiries have already been received from businesses keen to be based at the landmark Botany site.
Construction of phase two is set to commence next year on 68 units ranging from 1,500 to 32,234 sq ft in size, which will bring a further 500 jobs to the local area and £1.9m in business rates for the local authority.
Meanwhile, FIREM’s redevelopment of phase one is continuing apace with 403,000 sq ft of commercial space set to be constructed by the end of 2024 – of which 65% is already under offer.
Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM, which employs more than 400 people at its Chorley headquarters, said: “Our multimillion-pound redevelopment of Botany sees us realise our vision to create a scheme built by the people of Lancashire for the people of Lancashire.
“We’re pleased Chorley Borough Council has approved our application to create a further 309,060 sq ft of the highest quality commercial space with Botany Hill Business Park, generating a further 500 jobs in the process.
“Chorley has been our home for more than 40 years and we want to use our presence here to transform the area into a strategic employment site, catering for both expanding and relocating businesses.”
Botany Business Park comprises the transformation of the historic Canal Mill building and the creation of Botany Bay Business Park and Botany Hill Business Park.
The wider scheme represents a £220m investment by FIREM into the creation of almost one million sq ft of prime commercial and industrial space, creating more than 1,000 jobs.
The development is being delivered by FI Construction, FIREM’s construction division, which is working with local supply chain partners to ensure the building works create additional opportunities for local employment and training.
FIREM has committed to delivering a wider programme of local economic and social benefits as part of the new Botany Bay development to ensure it has a positive impact on the area and creates a lasting legacy in Chorley.
FIREM’s Botany Bay development forms part of its growing pipeline of constantly evolving new build projects across the UK, totalling seven million sq ft over the next four years.
Once complete, it will sit within FIREM’s already extensive UK portfolio of commercial property which now exceeds 15 million sq ft.
