New 30-unit business park planned for former forensic science site in Euxton

The site of Chorley’s former Forensic Science Service (FSS) laboratory could be reimagined as a business, industrial and storage park.

The FSS lab at Washington Hall, Euxton, closed in March 2011 as part of the government’s decision to wind down the national agency and cut roughly 185 local jobs, leading regional police forces to shift toward private providers and in-house collaborative units.

Now the Stafford Turner Self-Administered Pension Fund has applied to erect three buildings on the land, comprising of 30 storage and industrial business units (use Classes B2 and B8).

Background

In 2015, Chorley Council granted granted planning permission for the demolition of former buildings and redevelopment of the wider site for commercial purposes. Part of that wider development has been implemented, including a building now occupied by a scaffolding company.

Now the remaining land - which has been cleared and used to store buses and coaches - forms the proposed business park site. It is located to the north-west of West Way, accessed from West Way off Southport Road and is positioned opposite Chorley Community Fire Station and near the wider Lancashire Fire and Rescue training facilities.

A planning statement supplied to Chorley Borough Council says the proposal “seeks to redevelop a previously developed commercial site to provide modern, flexible, smallscale employment accommodation suitable for local businesses, start-up enterprises, light industrial occupiers, storage uses and other compatible employment uses.”

Although the Council’s pre-application advice confirms that the site lies within the Green Belt and forms part of a designated Major Developed Site in the Green Belt, the agent for the pension fund argues that the benefits of the scheme “clearly outweigh the identified Green Belt harm”.

They say: “The development would make efficient use of previously developed land, support the local economy, deliver much-needed small employment units, improve the appearance and management of the site, provide formalised access and parking, and create a high-quality, functional business environment.”

What would it be like?

The three new industrial-style buildings would house approximately 30 small business units of approximately 93 sq.m / 1,001 sq.ft. There would be internal access roads and circulation space, on-site parking provision, servicing and loading areas, and access would be from West Way.

A decision will be made in coming weeks by Chorley Borough Council.

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