The meeting decided to grant planning permission for the demolition of existing buildings and erection of new light industrial units at Wood Lane Farm, refuse permission for the construction of a new dwelling and garage at Chorley Road, and grant planning permission for the construction of a detached dwelling at 1 Ashfield Road, Chorley. The Committee also discussed the proposed diversion of a public footpath in Great Knowley and a number of appeals against the Council's previous planning decisions.

Proposed Chorley Borough Council Footpath FP0902026 Public Path Diversion Order 2025

The Committee discussed a report on a proposed Public Path Diversion Order, which was submitted to them on the advice of Lancashire County Council, because a similar order made by the Committee in January 2024 did not correctly describe the land affected.

A significant issue is that the landowners of the towpath, Canal and River Trust (CRT), say they had not consented to this diversion onto their land and in fact were not identified as a consultee.

The proposed order would see the diversion of a public footpath that crosses the site of a proposed business park on land next to the M61 Motorway. The business park is being developed by Lea Valley Limited, who were also the applicants for the footpath diversion. The diversion is necessary to allow for the construction of one of the proposed buildings, which would otherwise obstruct the footpath.

The new route of the path would be 286 metres long, compared to the 430 metre length of the existing path.

The Committee resolved to approve the making of the Public Path Diversion Order.

Planning Applications

Wood Lane Farm, Wood Lane, Mawdesley, L40 1SZ - 24/00590/FUL

The Committee considered an application to demolish existing buildings and errect new light industrial units and associated infrastructure at Wood Lane Farm, Wood Lane, Mawdesley. The application site is located within the Green Belt¹.

The Green Belt is a designation of land around certain cities and towns in England that is intended to prevent urban sprawl. It is protected from development by planning policy. More information about the Green Belt can be found on the Planning Portal website.

Objections were received from Mawdesley Parish Council, 7 local residents, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Despite the site being in the Green Belt, the Council's Planning Officers recommended that the application be approved, arguing that there were very special circumstances that outweighed the harm caused to the Green Belt by the development.

...the proposal would represent sustainable development which would bring about significant economic benefits to the Borough. This is an important consideration in this case given the site’s highly accessible location and the fact that it is allocated for employment uses.

The Committee agreed and voted to grant planning permission.

Chorley Road, Adlington - 24/00095/FUL

This application sought permission to build a detached dwelling and garage following the demolition of existing buildings on the site, which is located in Adlington.

The Council's Planning Officers had recommended that the application be refused because it would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and no very special circumstances were found to exist to outweigh this harm.

The applicant states that the site has been previously developed, however it is evident from the site’s history, as documented within this report, that this is not the case. Therefore, there are no very special circumstances which would outweigh the harm identified.

No objections were received from statutory consultees, but 6 letters of objection were received from local residents.

After considering the report, the Committee refused planning permission.

1 Ashfield Road, Chorley - 24/00917/FUL

This application requested planning permission for the construction of a detached dwelling on land to the rear of 1 Ashfield Road in Chorley.

The application had been called in to be determined by the Planning Committee by Councillor Ralph Snape, who represents the Chorley North West Ward, as he felt that the development would represent overdevelopment of the site. However, the Council's planning officers recommended that the application be approved.

The proposal would respect the character and appearance of the surrounding area, would not result in an unacceptable loss of privacy or amenity to neighbouring properties, and would accord with the relevant Development Plan policies.

One letter of objection was received from a local resident.

After some discussion, the Committee voted to grant planning permission, subject to conditions.