£100m plans approved for Botany phase two in Chorley

Developer and asset management company, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), has received planning permission from Chorley Borough Council for phase two of its redevelopment of Botany Bay.

The approved plans represent a £100m investment to create Botany Hill Business Park, 309,060 sq ft of industrial space on the hill adjacent to the historic Mill building. Over 250 enquiries have been received to-date 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 403k sq ft of commercial space set to be constructed by the end of 2024 - of which 65 per cent is already under offer. When complete, the major development will create a combined value of £143m in permanent jobs in the first 10 years of the development’s life.

Tim Knowles is the founder and managing director of FIREM, which employs more than 400 people at its Chorley headquarters. He said: “Our multi million 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 1m 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 upon 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 7m 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 15m sq ft.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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