A new Marks & Spencer Foodhall could be built in Burscough, West Lancashire, less than an hour's drive from Liverpool, following a planning application submitted to West Lancashire Borough Council.
Proposed Location and Size
The proposed store would occupy a 1.06-hectare site at the junction of High Lane and Pippin Street, near Ringtail Retail Park. The former Beaufort Care Home on High Lane would be demolished to make way for the 2,289 square metre M&S Foodhall, as reported by the Lancashire Telegraph.
The sales area would measure 1,724 square metres. Plans include 158 parking spaces, 16 cycle parking spaces, eight electric vehicle charging bays, landscaping, and a new access road.
Job Creation and Local Impact
According to planning documents submitted on behalf of Commercial Development Projects Ltd, the development would create around 70 jobs. The application states that the scheme would bring a long-vacant site back into use.
The nearest existing Foodhall stores to the proposed site are in Chorley and at Bolton Middlebrook. Other M&S stores across Merseyside include Liverpool ONE's flagship store, Queens Drive, Edge Lane, Lime Street Simply Food, Aintree, Prescot Cables Retail Park Simply Food, Bidston Moss Foodhall, New Mersey Shopping Park Foodhall, and Bromborough Simply Food.
Environmental and Sustainability Measures
The application is supported by technical reports covering transport, ecology, drainage, air quality, noise, and environmental impacts. A transport assessment concluded the store would be accessible by car, public transport, cycling, and walking. An air quality assessment found no significant impact on local pollution levels.
Environmental assessments identified habitats, mature trees, and the potential presence of bats on the existing site. Some habitat loss would occur, but developers plan to offset this through off-site biodiversity measures and new landscaping, including around 20 native trees, hedgerows, and meadow planting.
The scheme also proposes heat pump technology and other sustainability measures to achieve a BREEAM 'Very Good' environmental rating.
Decision Pending
West Lancashire Borough Council will decide on the application at a later date.
