Decision imminent on controversial plans for 146 homes on Chorley farm site

A decision will be made within days on a housing plan that would see 146 homes built on farmland in Chorley.

Castle Green Homes have applied for permission for the development at Little Knowley Farm in Heapey Road - and it’s attracted 133 objections from nearby residents.

But planning officers at Chorley Borough Council (CBC) have recommended that the scheme is approved when it goes before committee members on October 28.

What are the plans?

The application site is allocated and protected for housing development under the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan. It is outside, but adjacent to, the urban edge of Chorley and is situated to the north east of and beyond the M61 motorway and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It is approximately 8 hectares in size and would be accessed from Blackburn Brow, which runs along its western boundary.

In 2022, plans for up to 200 homes on the land - 35 per cent of them affordable - were launched by Castle Green Homes, with access proposed from Blackburn Brow. Neighbours quickly raised fears about overdevelopment and misuse of the land, and eventually the plans were withdrawn in February 2024.

But the developer came back with updated plans last year, with a total of 146 proposed - 51 of which would be affordable.

The proposal would comprise a mix of two, three and four-bedroom dwellings, with all dwellings being two storeys in height. The proposed density would be approximately 33 dwellings per hectare.

Concerns

133 letters of objection have been sent to the council. Concerns include:

- Highways safety

- Loss of greenspace

- Drainage / flood risk

- The application is premature as new Local Plan not yet adopted

- Local services are under pressure / oversubscribed

- Harm to the character of the area

- Unsustainable development

Three local councillors have also objected to the plans, sharing many of the same concerns as the residents.

There has been one representation received in support of the proposal, stating that the farm hasn’t been operational for at least 30 years so this land will add much needed housing stock to the borough.

Recommendation

A report compiled by planning officers has recommended that the plans are approved - subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement to secure:

• £330,974 towards Public Open Space

• £6,000 for a travel plan

• The provision of 30% affordable housing

• Relevant monitoring fees

The report states that although the application site is located within the West Pennine Moors Area of Other Open Countryside and the plans do not align with Policy BNE2 of the adopted Local Plan, which seeks to protect areas of open countryside from unacceptable development, “the adverse effects arising from that conflict would not substantially outweigh the substantial housing and affordable housing benefits and the moderate economic benefits.”

A final decision will be made at the planning committee meeting on October 28 from 6.30pm in the Town Hall council chamber. It can also be viewed live on YouTube.

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