‘We’ve approved a food store rather than a specific M&S outlet’, say planners

Ambitious plans to build a sizable food store at Norcross may have been approved – but planners have stipulated the application was not specific to M&S.

The plans were lodged with Wyre planners back in January and agents for the store chain said it was aimed at building a new ‘first class’ M&S store off Norcross Lane, offering ‘6,600 product lines’.

The application itself was for the erection of a new retail food store, together with associated car parking, servicing areas and landscaping, including the provision of an electricity substation, and alterations to the highway.

The sizable news store would have a net sales area of 1,465 sq.m and 145 parking spaces.

After nine months, the application finally came before Wyre’s latest planning committee meeting, at the request of Councillor Michael Vincent.

Councillor Vincent, who is leader of the council but in this case was acting as ward councillor for Victoria and Norcross, raised concerns about drainage and flooding issues and for that reason spoke against the plans.

The agent, Jeremy Hinds spoke in support of the application.

Councillors on the committee then discussed the benefit of the development on the local area and a proposed drainage scheme.

Councillor Steven Livesey, member for Stanah ward, proposed the recommendation to grant full planning permission subject to conditions and a S106 legal agreement to secure financial contributions towards Travel Planning and to appropriately secure Biodiversity Net Gain.

Councillor Andrea Kay, member for Pheasants Wood in Thornton, seconded the proposal and it was resolved to approve the application, subject to a large number of conditions, including provision of a pumping station for drainage.

In the event that a satisfactory Section 106 agreement is not concluded by December 23, or other date agreed in writing with the Council, it was agreed to delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Planning and Building Control to refuse planning permission on the grounds that the obligations which make the development acceptable have not been legally secured.

Coun Kay said: “We have approved the store and with the conditions in place, we think it will be good for the area.

“It is worth saying that we have approved a food store but although M&S have expressed an interest, it is the food store rather than a specific chain store we have approved.”

Although the proposals were warmly welcomed by some, a number of objections were also raised.

Some objectors even set up a petition, calling for the smaller M&S store in Cleveleys town centre to be saved for the sake of the town centre itself, as well as less mobile residents who may struggle to get to Norcross if the town centre outlet closed.

Among the conditions was stipulation that the premises shall not be open to the public outside the hours of 7am to-11pm from Monday to Saturday and shall not be open to the public outside the hours of 10am to 4pm on Sundays, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

What design statement said

A design statement by Savills (UK) Limited on behalf of London Metric Retail Limited said: “The application proposal seeks to deliver a new food M&S Foodhall to provide a brand-defining new M&S for the long term within Wyre.

“It will replace their existing store on Victoria Road West in Cleveleys Town Centre.

“The existing store is too small to provide the full M&S food offer and has a lease expiry of January 2026.

“The decision to make a substantial investment in Wyre is in turn dependent on being able to develop a first-class store that is fit for the future and can compete on a like-for-like basis with other supermarkets in the surroundings.”

If given the go ahead, the project will be developed alongside new proposals to bring more houses to those already on the former DWP site, located on the edge of Thornton and Anchorsholme.