Concern over plans for flats on Chorley hospital car park

The renewed six-year-old outline application from developer W Marsden and Sons, Wigan Road, Euxton, is for four storeys of one and two-bedroom apartments. The developer leases the land to the hospital for the 70-space car park off Preston Road.

Residents close to the hospital have complained for years about their roads being used by staff and visitors’ cars.

Ward councillor Ralph Snape said: “I’ve looked at the plans and I am concerned about the loss of car parking. It could cause a problem for our constituents.”

County councillor Mark Perks said: “Even though the Preston Road area is not in my division, I’m alarmed that these cars will be displaced and one of the places which is affected is Astley Village. I would be extremely worried if that meant even more off road parking in the village.”

County councillor Steve Holgate, whose division includes that part of the hospital, said: “Because of the nature of the hospital and the need to charge, and there isn’t enough space to accommodate people when visiting relatives, the situation has become more and more intolerable over the years and I would expect any new development to be able to contain the car parking within the site itself.”

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment.

Paul Marsden, of Marsden and Sons, said: “If it went ahead the hospital would lose the car parking. We’re happy at the moment for the application to remain as it is. We’ve renewed it so we don’t lose planning permission. At the moment it is difficult to market an apartment building to sell.”