Plans revived for new Marks & Spencer food hall

M&S says it will not renew its lease for its store in the centre of Blackburn

Plans for a new £10.1m food hall at a Lancashire retail park owned by the Issa brothers have been revived.

A High Court hitch in September meant the planning process for a new Marks & Spencer store, which will replace its existing outlet in the centre of Blackburn, had to start from scratch.

Now Monte Blackburn, the property arm of Mohsin and Zuber Issa's business empire which owns the Frontier Park retail hub, has restarted the process.

In April, neighbouring Hyndburn Council's planning committee granted permission for the development two miles east of Blackburn, near junction 6 of the M65.

Hyndburn Council gave the green light despite a last-ditch attempt by Blackburn with Darwen Council to offer M&S an alternative location.

It suggested the cleared Thwaites Brewery site that had originally been earmarked for a new Morrisons until the supermarket chain pulled out in March.

Another supermarket chain - Tesco - then asked for a judicial review, which Hyndburn Council chose not to contest.

It meant Hyndburn Council's original planning permission decision was quashed.

M&S, which has expressed its determination to move to Frontier Park, has now submitted new supporting statements for a fresh application.

'Significant employment opportunities'

M&S said it would not renew the lease for its existing store in King William Street - which employs 75 staff - when it expires in 2027.

In a statement, it said its Blackburn store was "from another era, opening in 1934, and is no longer representative of how people want to shop today".

A representative for Monte Blackburn said it had "comprehensively addressed" concerns that had been raised, adding that the planned food hall was a "valuable opportunity to regenerate an under-utilised site within Frontier Park".

The spokesperson continued: "The development will generate significant employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly."

Were the food hall to be built, it would see the return of M&S to Hyndburn for the first time since its Accrington town centre store closed in 2016.

Blackburn with Darwen Council Leader Phil Riley, who has previously said the authority "made no secret of the fact we'd love to keep M&S here in Blackburn town centre" declined to comment on the latest Frontier Park plans.