M&S store planned near motorway services

Bill JacobsLocal Democracy Reporting Service
News imageLDRS CGI of M&S modern one storey store with white frontage, black bollards and parked cars.LDRS
The M&S food store could open in Colne in 2027

A new Marks & Spencer food store is being proposed for a site next to a motorway services area in Lancashire.

The Issa brothers' property arm Monte Blackburn Ltd and M&S have unveiled plans for a new 2,300 sq m (7,545, sq ft) Food Hall in Colne next to the EG On The Move services at the end of the M65.

It has opened a public consultation seeking views from local people and businesses on the plans, before it submits a planning application to Pendle Council.

The proposed store would create up to 70 new jobs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Some 170 car parking spaces would be landscaped and integrated into the existing access road which serves the roadside services.

The M65 site has planning approval for a small warehouse development, but Monte Blackburn and Marks & Spencer will submit a joint full application for the scheme.

Construction could start in late 2026 if granted permission with opening anticipated in Autumn 2027.

Marks & Spencer said the store would "deliver more products to its local customers".

Eco-friendly

The car park will include EV charging points, accessible bays and secure cycle parking. the consultation document said.

It will feature energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, solar PV panels, and biodiversity enhancements

The consultation said Marks & Spencer was proud to support British farming and would work with Lancashire-based suppliers, such as Bright Blue Foods in Shadsworth and Winterbotham Darby in Clitheroe.

"The food hall will further strengthen these relationships and contribute to Lancashire's economic resilience," it said.

The proposal is separate to Monte Blackburn and Marks & Spencer's stalled scheme for a £10.m food hall on Frontier Park

That development, which was granted planning permission by Hyndburn Council in April, is currently awaiting a High Court hearing following a second legal challenge from supermarket Tesco backed by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

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