1. What is a Local Plan?
A Local Plan is a document produced by the local planning authority for an area, in this case jointly between Chorley, Preston, and South Ribble Councils - in consultation with local people and the many other organisations whose activities influence or are affected by what happens in the area. It identifies the number of new homes and other development needed to meet local needs over at least 15 years from adoption of the Local Plan and where development should take place to accommodate growth. The plan also identifies areas which need protecting or improving and the factors we will take into account when determining planning applications for development. It is an important document which has a major influence on how the local area will develop in the future.
2. Why do we need a new Local Plan?
Currently we have the ‘Central Lancashire Core Strategy’ which was produced jointly by Chorley, Preston and South Ribble Councils and adopted in 2012. It sets out the long term spatial vision for Central Lancashire and the overall strategy for delivering that vision.
Each authority also has a Local Plan, all adopted in 2015, which set out where new development such as houses and employment units should be built and include development management policies which are used to determine planning applications.
However, these plans are becoming out of date and are not compliant with changes in national planning policy. The new Central Lancashire Local Plan is therefore being prepared to help shape the way the area develops up to 2041, based on up-to-date evidence. This will be a single, joint Local Plan rather than separate plans, so it will be easier to read and use.
3. Why is the Plan being prepared jointly?
The Councils have worked successfully in partnership for a number of years. Evidence tells us that there are clear housing and economic market links between Chorley, Preston, and South Ribble.
4. What area will the Local Plan cover?
The joint Local Plan will cover the local authority administrative areas of Chorley, Preston, and South Ribble.
5. Why do we need to build more homes?
Councils are required to meet future needs for their areas, which includes making sure there is land available for new homes.
National planning policy identifies the process that must be followed in setting Local Plan housing targets. It requires a local housing need assessment to be undertaken using standard method. Standard method is a formula set by the government which takes into account household projections and affordability.
National planning policy states that there may be exceptional circumstances that justify an alternative approach to assessing housing needs than using standard method i.e. the particular demographics of an area. Any alternative approach must also reflect current and future demographic trends and market signals.
A Central Lancashire Housing Study has been prepared which provides a local housing need assessment. It concludes that standard method is not the most appropriate housing requirement for the Central Lancashire authorities and instead recommends using an employment led scenario.
6. What level of housing development are we required to provide?
The Central Lancashire Housing Study recommends a combined housing requirement of 1,237 dwellings per annum across Central Lancashire, split as follows:
Chorley = 410 dwellings per annum
Preston = 441 dwellings per annum
South Ribble = 386 dwellings per annum
Chorley are unable to meet that housing requirement without releasing Green Belt land, whereas Preston and South Ribble have sufficient land available to exceed the housing requirements recommended for them without releasing Green Belt land, therefore the housing requirement has been redistributed.
The proposed Local Plan combined annual housing requirement is 1,314 dwellings per annum. The requirement has been increased slightly from the requirement recommended in the Housing Study, in order to meet the transitional arrangements set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in December 2024. The new NPPF includes a new formula for calculating a local authority’s housing requirement, and under this new formula the housing requirement has significantly increased for all three Central Lancashire Authorities. The new NPPF includes transitional arrangements whereby local authorities can continue with lower housing requirements provided they commence the Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation by 12th March 2025 and the proposed housing requirement is at least 80% of what the requirement would be using the new formula. A slight increase in the housing requirement in the Local Plan was required to meet the 80% requirement.
The proposed housing requirement is as follows:
Chorley = 334 dwellings per annum
Preston = 520 dwellings per annum
South Ribble = 460 dwellings per annum
7. What level of employment development are we required to provide?
The Employment Land Study assesses the need for new employment development across Central Lancashire and sets out the following employment requirements for the Local Plan period (2023-2041):
Chorley = 41.45 hectares
Preston = 74.43 hectares
South Ribble = 56.99 hectares
8. Where is development going to go?
The Publication (Regulation 19) Local Plan provides information on the sites proposed for allocation for housing and employment across Central Lancashire.
Sites have been allocated in accordance with the spatial strategy and settlement hierarchy, with priority given to sites within settlement boundaries. Priority was also given to previously developed sites however greenfield land has also been allocated in order to meet the housing requirement.
Sites have also been allocated on land designated as Safeguarded Land in Chorley and South Ribble in the current Local Plans. The purpose of Safeguarded Land is to identify land to meet future development needs beyond the plan period. This land therefore needed to be considered for development in the new Local Plan.
Areas of land currently allocated as Open Countryside in Chorley and Preston have also been allocated for development. These sites adjoin settlement boundaries, and it is considered that they will not have an adverse impact on landscape character.
9. Will there be any development in the Green Belt?
National planning policy requires local authorities to demonstrate exceptional circumstances to allocate land for development in the Green Belt. Before concluding exceptional circumstances exist, a local authority must demonstrate that it has examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting its identified need for housing. In particular local authorities must demonstrate that their strategy:
a) Makes as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites and underutilised land (outside of the Green Belt)
b) Optimises the density of development
c) Has been informed by discussions with neighbouring authorities about whether they could accommodate some of the identified need for development.
The Councils have allocated all suitable and available brownfield sites outside of the Green Belt and optimised the density of the proposed housing allocations under criterion a) and b) above. However Chorley could not meet the housing requirement set out in the Housing Study (410 dwellings per annum). Preston and South Ribble Councils have sufficient land available outside of the Green Belt to meet their requirements and are also able to meet Chorley’s unmet need, as such there has been a redistribution of the housing requirement. As Preston and South Ribble can accommodate the remainder of Chorley’s identified need under criterion c) above, Chorley cannot demonstrate exceptional circumstances for Green Belt release.
Several previously developed sites in the Green Belt were considered for allocation however they have now been discounted for the reasons set out above.
10. What is the difference between Green Belt and greenfield?
Green Belts are designated areas of land around settlements to prevent them merging together. These areas are predominantly made up of countryside and agricultural land. They are protected from most forms of development by national planning policy.
Greenfield refers to land that has not been previously developed. The majority of land in the Green Belt is greenfield, but there are some areas in the Green Belt that contain development, these are referred to as brownfield or previously developed sites. Greenfield sites can also be found within settlements. Greenfield land has no statutory protection in its own right unless it has some form of protective designation (e.g. a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Green Belt etc).
11. How were site allocations for development selected?
The Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) sets out the process for identifying and assessing sites for housing and employment development.
Sites taken forward to Stage 2 of the SHELAA were subject to detailed site assessments including the following:
These assessments informed which sites were selected as allocations. The SHELAA sets out which sites were discounted and the reason.
12. How will the infrastructure that is needed to support new development be delivered?
Infrastructure includes lots of different things which an area needs to help it work properly. It includes things such as transport (e.g. roads, rail, cycleways), education, health services and utilities. There are different ways that new infrastructure will be delivered to meet the increased demand for services created by additional development. Many of these services are not under the Council’s control so we are working closely with infrastructure providers to ensure there is sufficient provision of these services within the borough to meet growth. Developers will also be required to provide infrastructure as part of new developments.
13. What are the stages of Local Plan preparation and consultation?
The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 set out the requirements that a local authority must follow when preparing a Local Plan.
Regulation 18 requires a local authority to consult on the subject of a Local Plan which the local authority plans to prepare. It is the first stage of consultation on the Local Plan.
The Central Lancashire authorities undertook two Regulation 18 consultations as follows:
a) Issues and Options consultation - this took place between 18th November 2019 and 14th February 2020. It presented information on a number of topics which could affect how development takes place across Central Lancashire over the plan period. It also presented information on sites which had been suggested to the Council’s as locations for development.
b) Preferred Options consultation – this took place between 19th December 2022 and 26th February 2023. It set out the key strategic issues for Central Lancashire and how we plan to address these. It provided information on the level of housing and employment land needed and the sites that could deliver that requirement over the plan period. It also provided information on policy objectives for the emerging plan.
Regulation 19 requires local authorities to consult on their proposed Local Plan prior to submitting it to the government for examination. It is the last stage of public engagement on the Local Plan. This is the stage that the Local Plan is currently at.
14. When is the Regulation 19 consultation taking place?
The Publication Local Plan is being consulted on from Monday 24th February to Monday 14th April 2025.
15. Where can I view the Regulation 19 Local Plan?
The Regulation 19 Local Plan will be available to view, alongside the evidence base and supporting documents, online on the Central Lancashire Local Plan website (https://centrallocalplan.lancashire.gov.uk)
Paper copies of the documents will be available to view at Council Offices and libraries across Central Lancashire. In Chorley, copies will also be available in Post Offices in settlements where there isn’t a library.
A number of drop in events are also being held across Central Lancashire, where copies of the documents will be available to view and Officers will be available to answer questions. Details of these events can be found on the Central Lancashire Local Plan website.
16. How can I respond to the Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation?
Representations must be submitted using the representation form. Any representations submitted not using the representation form will not be accepted.
An online representation form is available on the Central Lancashire Local Plan website. A copy of the representation form can also be downloaded from the website and be returned by email or post.
Email address: centrallancashireplan@chorley.gov.uk
Postal address: Planning Policy Team, Third Floor, Town Hall, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2RL.
Responses must be received by 11.59pm on 14th April. Late responses will not be considered.
All representations must include a name and postal address. Anonymous representations will not be accepted. The law requires Councils to make available the representations received along with the name of the person making that representation. Representations will be made available for the public to read as part of the Local Plan preparation process. Other personal details will not be made available. Planning regulations require that representations on a Regulation 19 Local Plan must relate to legal compliance and soundness. In some cases, in order to run virtual events by means of video or telephone conference, the Planning Inspectorate may also need to know the e-mail address and/or telephone number of those making representations
17. What is legal compliance?
To be legally compliant the Local Plan must adhere to all relevant laws and regulations. In particular:
18. What is soundness?
Soundness is outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Local Plan Inspector has to be satisfied that the plan is:
a) Positively prepared: This means that the plan should be prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development.
b) Justified: The plan should be the most appropriate strategy when considered against reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence.
c) Effective: The plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities.
d) Consistent with national policy: The plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the NPPF.
19. What happens next?
Following the consultation, the Local Plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate along with a copy of all the representations received.
A Local Plan Examination will then take place and the Planning Inspectorate will determine if the Local Plan is sound and can be adopted.
