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£20m Chorley mall is back on!
The planned £20m Market Walk extension is back on the table, the Guardian can exclusively reveal.
In a shock move, developers RREEF have submitted a new application for a state-of-the-art shopping mall on the Flat Iron car park.
If approved, the development will create around 350 full-time jobs and 25,000 sq feet of new shopping space at the heart of the town.
It will also include around 450 new parking spaces at the town's first multi-storey car park.
The move comes in the wake of Asda's plans for a supermarket on the current QS Fashions site at the opposite end of town at the corner of Market Street and Pall Mall.
If both schemes are approved, they will bring around 50m investment to Chorley, along with up to 700 new jobs and 900 extra parking spaces.
Although talks are still at a very early stage, council officials say if given the go-ahead, the developments could re-position Chorley as a major retail centre.
A decision on both schemes could be made as early as June.
Coun Peter Goldsworthy, Chorley Council leader, said: "On the face of it, this is great news.
"The proposed extension to Market Walk is an investment of 20m in our town, providing extra car parking, extra facilities and hundreds of extra jobs.
"When you add the potential new Asda store into the mix, we're looking at a joint investment of 50m. That's a real vote of confidence for Chorley and the future of the town.
"However, we do need to make sure any new development adds to the town centre's viability for shoppers and businesses through a rigorous assessment of the impact on other businesses.
"I want to see everyone involved in Chorley continue to thrive."
Manchester-based developers RREEF, which own the current Market Walk development, first applied to extend the site in 2006.
* Full story and analysis in this week's Guardian.
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Weather for Chorley
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to -0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
