Chorley Borough Council

The committee considered a major warehouse/distribution proposal at Finnington Lane with significant green belt, landscape, heritage, traffic and utility impacts, alongside a care home change-of-use application and a residential driveway/extension proposal. The first scheme was approved despite strong objections and debate over job creation, unmet logistics need, biodiversity net gain, Section 106 mitigation, and Secretary of State referral. The second scheme was refused due to residential amenity, parking, and highway concerns, while the third was approved after members accepted officer and highways advice.

The transcript is a closing planning appeal submission for the former Camelot Theme Park site. The appellant argues the proposal should be allowed because it would deliver new homes, including affordable homes, and includes a transport strategy plus section 106 obligations intended to address access, sustainability, and other planning matters. The only clear action item is the council being asked to send an outstanding document to the case officer immediately after the inquiry closes.

The cabinet approved several procurement-related contract renewals and joint procurement arrangements, including janitorial and sundry products, while also noting a decision to extend insurance cover pending local government reorganisation rather than run a full tender now. Members discussed revenue and capital outturns, underspends, borrowing, car park income, bus station maintenance, and market walk rental pressures, alongside a refreshed joint tenancy strategy and performance issues around NEETs and visitor numbers.

The committee considered three contested planning applications: a 39-home affordable housing scheme on Preston Road in Coppell, a nine-dwelling redevelopment at Old House Farm, German Lane, and two five-bed HMOs in Chorley. The main issues were green belt/grey belt policy, highway safety, sustainability, ecology, and local amenity. The committee approved the two housing schemes and rejected both HMO proposals after strong objections about over-intensification, parking, living conditions, and impacts on neighbours. A site visit was also mentioned for a later application at Finnington Lane.

The council’s Audit and Governance Committee on 2026-05-27 discussed key procurement-related items across external and internal assurance work. Highlights include: (1) an external audit plan outlining significant valuation risks and a group audit scope, with a target to complete by end of November; (2) progress on a new contract management system live from 2026-04-01, with data entry underway and oversight assigned to the head of legal and procurement, plus planned updates in mid-2026; (3) an internal audit report noting four defined improvement areas (events, volunteers, contract management, investment properties) and an accompanying action plan with timescales; (4) risk governance developments, notably a new AI risk requiring more frequent quarterly reviews; and (5) governance and assurance structures including an annual governance statement and compliance with global internal audit standards. These items indicate a push to strengthen procurement governance, contract management, asset risk, and assurance maturity, with clear timelines for updates and improvements.

The committee considered three planning applications with significant procurement-relevant implications around housing delivery, highway mitigation, and legal agreements. Members debated a 39-home affordable housing scheme off Preston Road, a 9-dwelling Green Belt redevelopment at Old House Farm, and a change of use to an HMO at 238 Spenmore Lane, with repeated references to Section 106 obligations, highways works, traffic safety, and local connection requirements. The meeting also highlighted pressure on affordable housing supply, concern over road safety and sustainable access, and the need for site visits and further highway clarification before deciding some items.