No sign of pedestrian crossing on Chorley street - 10 years after it was promised

However, residents on a busy street in Chorley have been left looking both ways for the lights themselves to materialise - for an entire decade.

When plans were drawn up for a new estate on the former site of the Multipart/TVS distribution centre on Pilling Lane, the two developers behind the scheme were told that they would have to fund the ‘toucan’-style crossing as a condition of being granted permission.

At the request of highways bosses at County Hall, Chorley Council planners ordered that no more than 50 properties on the 200-dwelling estate should be occupied before the lights were “installed and operational” near to the entrance.

That agreement was made in 2008 and it is thought that the quarter-full mark was passed around 2010.

“I’m regularly asked by residents about what's happened to this crossing, because we have got a big estate on a busy road and a park on the opposite side of it as well,” explained Chorley South East ward councillor Paul Walmsley.

“When I spoke to Lancashire County Council 12 months ago, they said that the design was still being evaluated - but what is there to evaluate after 10 years?

“It has been prevaricated and procrastinated over for all this time - and at some point, somebody has just got to say enough is enough.”

Barratt Homes - which owns the David Wilson brand - and Redrow Homes both said that they were unable to provide any information on the matter.

However, it may soon be green for go on the long-delayed plans, with efforts stepping up to identify outstanding developer-funded infrastructure works associated with the estate - meaning two crossing points are now on the cards.

John Gatheral, highway design manager for Lancashire County Council, said: "The developers originally funded work to divert utility services for the construction of the new entrance and the development progressed. The rest of the work...was still to be designed and costed.

"We sent an estimate for this work to the developers earlier this year, just before the first Covid lockdown, and we await them agreeing the necessary funding to complete the scheme.

"The remaining work includes a pedestrian crossing near to the entrance of the development on Pilling Lane and [another] at the junction with Bolton Road.

“There will also be additional measures on the surrounding roads for cyclists and pedestrians."

WHAT IS A TOUCAN CROSSING?

Unlike at traditional pelican and puffin pedestrian crossings, cyclists do not have to dismount before using a toucan crossing.