M&s unveils Colne foodhall plan beside M65 services with 170 parking spaces
m&s and the Issa brothers' property arm Monte Blackburn Ltd have unveiled plans for a new Food Hall in Colne next to the EG On The Move services at the end of the M65. The proposals set out a project that could open in 2027, create up to 70 new jobs and provide around 170 landscaped car parking spaces integrated with the existing access road.
M&s and Monte Blackburn reveal the scheme
The joint proposal between Monte Blackburn Ltd and M&S describes a Food Hall to be built adjacent to the EG On The Move Colne services. One description in planning documents gives the overall building footprint as 2, 300 sq m (7, 545, sq ft), while other consultation materials list a retail floorplate of 24, 748 sq ft and a trading floor area of 17, 990 sq ft. These differing size figures appear in the materials provided for public consultation.
Site, planning timetable and public consultation
A public consultation is open to gather views from local people and businesses ahead of a planning application to Pendle Council. The M65 site already has planning approval for a small warehouse development, but Monte Blackburn and Marks & Spencer intend to submit a joint full application for the Food Hall scheme. The project documentation sets out a potential construction start in late 2026 if permission is granted, with opening anticipated in Autumn 2027. One project note also states that M&S hopes to secure planning permission and start construction later this year, with a target of opening in autumn 2027.
Parking, sustainability and store features
The scheme proposes around 170 customer car parking places, to be landscaped and integrated into the existing access road that serves the roadside services. The car park plans include EV charging points, accessible bays and secure cycle parking. Building specifications set out energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, rooftop photovoltaic panels/solar PV panels and biodiversity enhancements.
Local supply, jobs and community impact
The consultation materials emphasise support for British farming and a commitment to work with Lancashire-based suppliers such as Bright Blue Foods in Shadsworth and Winterbotham Darby in Clitheroe. The proposals state the Food Hall will strengthen those supplier relationships and contribute to Lancashire's economic resilience. The scheme is expected to create up to 70 new jobs in the area.
Nearby development, forecourt operation and wider context
The forecourt development at EG On The Move Colne, headed by Zuber Issa, opened in November 2024 as a new-build and took EG On The Move's site count to 45 locations; 34 sites were acquired from EG Group in that same month. EG On The Move Colne includes a filling station and retail units, listing Spar, Starbucks, Subway and Sbarro. The proposed Food Hall site is located where Whitewalls Drive meets the M65 and sits close to existing amenities including Banny’s British Kitchen and Boundary Outlet Colne.
Related projects, planning disputes and community notes
The Colne Food Hall proposal is described as separate from a stalled Monte Blackburn and Marks & Spencer scheme for a £10. m food hall on Frontier Park. That Frontier Park development was granted planning permission by Hyndburn Council in April and is currently awaiting a High Court hearing after a second legal challenge from supermarket Tesco backed by Blackburn with Darwen Council. Elsewhere, a multi-let Monte/M&S proposal on a 7. 2-acre site at Southgate Trade Park in Hyndburn was included in the materials; that scheme is set out as a multi-let proposal featuring 69 units.
Public reaction and consultation detail
Public commentary captured with the consultation material includes a range of questions and remarks, from technical queries—"Is there 36MW electricity available? either in Trafford Park, or in the whole UK?"—to community-focused comments about design, local delivery and social benefits. A dated entry in the consultation content appears as: 10 March 2026 - 10 March 2026, 2: 45 - 3: 45. The material also notes that Monte Blackburn, as landowner and the property business of the Issa brothers, has offered no comment at this stage.
Separately, a short line in the reporting notes that Issa Brothers' cemetery plan was withdrawn again. Recent documents and the consultation pack are the current public record on the Colne Food Hall proposals; details may evolve as the formal planning application is prepared and submitted.
