A leisure complex in Burnley has been shortlisted in the Lancashire Property Awards 2024.

Pioneer Place, the £23 million leisure complex in Burnley town centre, has been shortlisted for commercial development of the year. 

Northlight, in Pendle, has also been shortlisted in the category.  The £32million project was completed this year.

It is now home to new apartments, businesses, offices, industrial and storage space, Burnley FC in the Community’s sports and leisure facilities, an indoor children’s play site, arts and culture spaces, and adult education. There is also a a coffee shop, bar and events facility.

Pioneer Place impressed judges with the tenacity of all partners involved to get this over the line, especially as the pandemic brought additional challenges to starting the project.

The project secured funding from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s getting building fund, Burnley and Lancashire county councils, and fashion company and the borough’s largest employer Boohoo.

REEL cinema, Loungers, Heavenly Desserts, Nando’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell are some of the sites available at the site.

Cllr Afrasiab Anwar, leader of Burnley Council, said: “Pioneer Place took years of hard work, from the original vision to project completion and the concerted efforts of everyone involved have paid off.

"I’d like to thank all our partners in this massive project for their support in making it a reality.

“This development has enhanced Burnley town centre and injected new energy into the evening economy and has brought additional visitors during the day.

"Developments like this encourage further investment into places and, in the case of Pioneer Place, aligns with our evolution as a university town.”

Nik Puttnam from Maple Grove Developments, who delivered the scheme alongside Burnley Council and Eric Wright Construction, said: “Pioneer Place is a significant regeneration project which benefits the people of Burnley and the wider Lancashire area.

"We are delighted that we could bring to life the vision, and through working in partnership with a common goal, the impact across the community can be seen and enjoyed today. It’s a huge credit to the determination and commitment of everyone involved from across all our teams.”

The awards will take place in November and celebrate the work of developers, housebuilders, and their public sector partners, celebrating excellence across the region’s property community. 

Full list of finalists of Lancashire Property Awards:

Law firm of the year

Napthens
Farleys Solicitors
Forbes Solicitors
Harrison Drury Solicitors

Construction business of the year

Barnfield Construction
Krol Corlett Construction
Eric Wright Construction

Residential developer/housebuilder of the year

Applethwaite Homes
Pringle Homes
Story Homes
Prospect Homes 
Vistry Group

Planning team of the year

PWA Planning
Smith & Love Planning Consultants
Asteer Planning

Commercial developer of the year 

Caddick 
Muse
HBD Barnfield 
 

Property consultancy of the year

AG Built Environment Consultancy
David Cox Architects
Chroma Consulting
TP Bennett

Residential development of the year

Bay Mill, Morecambe (Placefirst)
The Hawthorns, Elswick (Kingswood Homes)
Bowland Fold, Halton, Lancaster (Genesis Homes)
The Exchange, Preston (Heaton Group)
Keld, Barrowford (Northstone)
Brookfield Vale, Blackburn (Vistry Group)
Northcote Park, Langho, Blackburn (Pringle Homes)

Commercial development of the year 

Northlight, Pendle (PEARL - Barnfield Investment Properties and Pendle Borough Council)
33-34 Winckley Square, Preston (Branco Capital, OneCoWork
Farington Park, Leyland (Caddick Developments)
Holiday Inn, Blackpool (Blackpool Council, Muse)
EAST, Preston (HBD, Barnfield) 
Pioneer Place, Burnley (Burnley Borough Council/Maple Grove Developments)

Social impact award

Civil Service Hub - Talbot Gateway (Blackpool Council, Muse, VINCI Building, Skills Construction Centre)
Fleetwood Community Hub (Krol Corlett Construction)
Accrington Stanley Wham Stadium Redevelopment (Accrington Stanley FC / Readstone Construction)

Property deal of the year

Acquisition of land at Blackpool Road, Poulton-le-Fylde from Blackpool Council (Story Homes, Bellway Homes North West)
Farington Park pre-let to Victorian Plumbing (Caddick, Goldman Sachs, Canmoor, JLL, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield)
Letting to Kerakoll at APTUS (HBD, Barnfield, Gerald Eve, Young & Co, Eckersley Property)
Letting to Frasers Group at Blackpool Houndshill Shopping Centre (Blackpool Council, Ellandi)