"Awkwardly shaped" Chorley plot could become self-storage site - featuring 50 large containers
Plans have been launched to turn a parcel of land into a self-storage facility with 50 containers.
M & W Property Ltd have made an application to Chorley Borough Council for land south of The Forge, Westhoughton Road, Adlington. The site - which is filled with trees - is an underused, roughly triangular shaped parcel of land which tapers to its southern end, sandwiched between the A6 to the west and the Manchester to Preston railway line to the east.
The agent for the applicant says a new access would be created off Westhoughton Road, at the southern end of the site where there is an existing dropped kerb facility in place. The facility would be accessible to users of the storage facility by a key code or fob during the hours of 7am-7pm Monday to Sunday.
While the agent admits the storage containers would have a “utilitarian appearance”, they say the application site sits “immediately adjacent to an established commercial site which some properties on Grove Close already overlook.”
They add: “We consider that the presence of a single level of containers set behind the railway embankment and existing boundary fence would have a minor effect on these neighbouring residential properties and is therefore compliant with Policy BNE1 in this regard.
“Regarding the residential property located to the south of the application site, existing planting and a 2m high timber boundary fence will provide a screen to the proposed storage containers.”
They claim that in terms of potential disturbance to neighbouring properties from comings and goings to the application site, “it is expected that customer visits would be sufficiently low, that the loading and unloading of vehicles would be unlikely to lead to a significantly harmful level of disturbance occurring to neighbouring residents.”
In conclusion, the agent states: “The proposed development seeks to make the best use of the land available on this awkwardly shaped site which is wedged between the A6 Westhoughton Road to the west and the railway line to the east. Given that the site is currently underused, sits immediately adjacent to a longestablished industrial site, and, the location of the site is within the settlement area of Adlington, we consider that the principle of the development is policy compliant.”
A decision will be made in coming week by Chorley Council planning bosses.