Green light for new Euro Garages HQ

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has approved plans for a three-storey waterfront development which will act as Euro Garages group offices and could create 150 new jobs.

Road improvement works are a condition of the planning permission so as to avoid any traffic problems.

Management are also considering options for two drive-through restaurants as part of the proposed development. Planning permission has been granted, the brand and type of restaurant is still to be agreed.

Work on the site, which overlooks Fishmoor Reservoir in Blackburn, will be complete in summer 2018. The company's existing site, on Haslingden Road, will become its training and development centre.

The EG Group is one Europe’s leading petrol forecourt and convenience retailers. The company was ranked sixth in the Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table of Britain’s 100 private companies with the biggest sales and was the highest-ranked in the North West.

The company added £3bn in sales last year to £3.8bn, primarily as a result of its merger with European Forecourt Retail (EFR) last year to form EG Group with circa 1,450 locations across France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. In June this year, the group agreed to acquire another 1,176 service stations in Italy.

Council leader, Councillor Mohammed Khan and council chief executive Harry Catherall met with the company leadership to confirm the planning permission and further discuss the development which is set to create up to 150 new jobs.

Councillor Khan said: “It really is wonderful to see this local company doing so well. The owners are making sure that their home town benefits from their success and they continue to provide fantastic employment opportunities. We are proud to have them here.”

Zuber Issa, co-CEO and founder, said: “We are pleased to secure planning permission for the new office space. As you can appreciate, a business our size and global standing is regularly advised to move to a major city; many times to London or Manchester, however, we are proud of our Lancashire heritage and to date have resisted such suggestions.

“We see the advantages of being in Blackburn as it is our home, we like living in the town and we remain fully committed to having our main base here and seeing local people succeed along the phenomenal journey. We are also really looking forward to having something special in Blackburn to host international visitors.”