New buyer found for Chapels development in Darwen

Part of a major Darwen development originally intended to house an advanced manufacturing centre has been sold to an alternative buyer.

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre North West plans to develop an additive manufacturing centre (AMC) at Unit 1 of the Barnfield led Chapels development fell through earlier this year after Sheffield University withdrew from the scheme.

It was initially intended the council would purchase the 11,657 sqft unit from Barnfield upon completion in order to let it to Sheffield University for the proposed AMC.

Now Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive committee has approved the purchase and subsequent sale of the unit to LJ&R Footwear, a Rossendale shoe wholesaler, which is investing in the site with the intention of letting it to an existing tenant looking to expand. The identity of the tenant has not yet been revealed.

The value of the sale will be £1.85m.

A report to the committee said: "Following their withdrawal of the University’s interest, due to the challenging finances within the higher education sector, and further active marketing of the development, the council has been approached by an investor interested in acquiring the unit to accommodate an existing tenant’s growth plans. 

"The council was approached by a local investor, LJ&R Footwear, via Barnfield which has dealt with the investor on previous commercial schemes. The investor is interested in acquiring Unit 1 with the intention to let to an existing tenant who wishes to relocate and expand their business.

"The investor has a large property portfolio across Lancashire and is known to Barnfield, having acquired properties from them on multiple occasions. Unit 1 has been marketed by local agents for the past six months which to date has not yielded any meaningful enquiries."

Blackburn with Darwen Council has previously outlined its intention to reinvest the funds that had been committed to the AMC project into the existing Darwen Town Deal market and civic quarter development plans.