M&s poised for Colne Food Hall next to M65 services with 170 parking spaces
The latest plans for a new m&s food store in Colne will see a Food Hall sited next to motorway services at the end of the M65, and the project has moved into a public consultation phase that will shape a forthcoming planning application. The proposals are significant for local employment, parking capacity and supplier links, and the developers say the scheme aims to open in autumn 2027 if permission is granted.
M&s and Monte Blackburn unveil Colne plans
The proposal is a joint initiative between Monte Blackburn Ltd, the Issa brothers' property arm, and Marks & Spencer. Plans describe a Food Hall of 2, 300 sq m (7, 545 sq ft) located adjacent to the EG On The Move services where Whitewalls Drive meets the M65. Consultation material also sets out a different floor-area breakdown citing a 24, 748 sq ft store with a trading floor area of 17, 990 sq ft, reflecting distinct elements presented during the public engagement stage.
Site layout, parking and sustainability measures
Both scheme descriptions converge on key site features. Around 170 customer parking places would be delivered and landscaped, integrated into the existing access road that serves the roadside services. The car park is planned to include EV charging points, accessible bays and secure cycle parking. The building is set to include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, rooftop photovoltaic panels and biodiversity enhancements.
Jobs, timing and planning route
Planners estimate the proposed store could create up to 70 new jobs in Colne. The developers have opened a public consultation to gather views from local people and businesses ahead of a full planning application to Pendle Council. There are two timing frames set out in the proposals: one expectation that construction could start in late 2026 if permission is granted, and another indicating hopes to begin construction later this year, both looking toward an anticipated opening in autumn 2027.
Local supply chain and neighbouring facilities
The consultation highlights commitments to work with Lancashire-based suppliers and to strengthen existing relationships with regional producers. Named local suppliers in the consultation include Bright Blue Foods in Shadsworth and Winterbotham Darby in Clitheroe. Nearby site context is provided by the EG On The Move Colne location, which opened in November 2024 and took that operator’s network to 45 sites after a group of acquisitions the same month. The Colne forecourt complex features a filling station and a range of retail and food outlets, and the proposed Food Hall site sits close to Banny’s British Kitchen and Boundary Outlet Colne.
Separate Frontier Park scheme and legal challenges
The Colne proposal is separate to a stalled Monte Blackburn and Marks & Spencer scheme for a £10. m food hall on Frontier Park. That Frontier Park development had been granted planning permission by Hyndburn Council in April but is currently awaiting a High Court hearing after a second legal challenge from supermarket Tesco backed by Blackburn with Darwen Council. Elsewhere in Lancashire, a Monte/Marks & Spencer project in Hyndburn has been described as a multi-let proposal located on a 7. 2-acre site at Southgate Trade Park featuring 69 units.
Other local notes
The consultation documentation also notes features intended to improve connectivity and resilience for the area, and states that the food hall will further strengthen relationships with local suppliers and contribute to Lancashire's economic resilience. The landowner, Monte Blackburn, the property business of the Issa brothers, has said it had no comment at this stage. Separate local material lists an item that the Issa brothers' cemetery plan was withdrawn again, an additional development note from the area.
Next steps and uncertainties
Public consultation is under way and will inform the joint full application to Pendle Council. If planning permission is secured, one planning timeline envisages construction starting in late 2026, with an opening anticipated in Autumn 2027. Details may evolve as consultation feedback is considered and as the planning application progresses; elements described in the consultation and in project briefings include differing floor-area figures and target start dates, which reflect the developing nature of the proposals.
