Plans submitted for 1.3m sq ft Chorley logistics hub

FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) has submitted plans for a new 1.3 million sq ft logistics park on the edge of Chorley. 

Situated next to junction 3 of the M65, the Stanworth development will generate 1,300 high quality jobs and contribute nearly £400m of economic value to the local economy.

Combined with the construction of Botany Bay Business Park, FIREM’s two game changing developments have an estimated economic value of £1.3bn.

The submission comes as the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan has identified the M65 corridor in Chorley as an opportunity to meet its future employment land needs.

The plan has been submitted to Chorley Council and centres on facilitating space for the UK’s growing logistics sector, which, according to research from Statista,  is the largest in Europe.

FIREM is proposing two large warehouse units, with a combined total of 1.3 million sq ft of floorspace for logistics use, alongside offices and support facilities for staff, car parking and servicing. 

Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM, said: “There are currently no commercial spaces available at this scale in the region. This development will attract the next generation of businesses to this well connected part of Chorley and deliver jobs for the local economy. 

“We’re passionate about continuing to invest in Chorley, and our plans for this latest site will also aim to generate inward investment for Chorley and the surrounding areas.”

He added: “As with all FIREM investments, we are a long-term investor. This development will remain in our ownership and be proactively managed as a catalyst for future investment in Chorley.”

FIREM boasts a country-wide portfolio of commercial property that now exceeds 15 million sq ft.

With an overall target of achieving BREEAM Excellent, the site will use renewable energy and embodied carbon capture in materials and will include EV-ready facilities.

Alongside this, FIREM will deliver onsite ecology improvements, enhancing biodiversity to benefit local wildlife. 

FIREM will also work to bring significant traffic improvements to the local road network as well as improving dedicated pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities between the site and local areas, along the Leeds & Liverpool canal.

The group is well under way on building nearly one million sq ft of space at Botany Bay Business Park, near junction 8 of the M61.