The hearing sessions for the examination will be held at:
Preston Town Hall, Lancaster Rd, Preston, PR1 2RL
Chorley Town Hall, Market St, Chorley, PR7 1DP
Leyland Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, PR25 1DH
The hearings will start at 09:30 on Tuesday 2 December 2025 at Preston Town Hall.
View the draft hearing programme here
Livestreaming
The hearings will NOT be livestreamed.
No recordings of the hearing sessions will be made.
Watching the Hearings
As the hearing sessions will not be live streamed, if you wish to observe the hearings you would need to attend in person.
A limited amount of seating for observers will be provided at the hearings.
If you do wish to observe the hearing sessions, if you have not already, please contact the Programme Officer stating who you are and what hearing session you wish to observe.
Only people listed as participants in the programme are allowed to speak during the hearings. Observers are not allowed to speak as part of the hearings.
Do not sit in any reserved seats - these are only for people taking part in the hearing.
Matter 5 Chorley - Due to capacity constraints in the Council Chamber at Chorley, observers will be directed to Committee Room 1 or 2, where a stream from the Council Chamber will be available.
Opening Times
Preston Town Hall will open for admittance at 09:00
Chorley Town Hall will open for admittance at 09:00
Leyland Civic Centre will open for admittance at 09:00
Parking and Local Transport
Preston
Paid parking for attendees is available at Animate which is across the road from the venue. Further paid parking is also available at Preston Bus Station which is also a short walk from the venue.
View parking information at Preston City Centre
Preston Town Hall is located on Lancaster Lane. There are bus stops on Lancaster Lane and Preston Bus Station is accessible by walking through or around the St Johns shopping Centre. All major bus routes to and from Chorley and South Ribble pass through the bus station.
Preston Train Station is around a 10 min walk along Fishergate with services from South Ribble and Chorley stations stopping here. Attendees should walk the full length of Fishergate taking a left turn just before Richer sounds on to Lancaster Lane walking past the Harris, Guild Hall and the Courts toward the Town hall offices.
Chorley
Paid parking is available at various public car parks in the Town Centre.
View Map of Town Centre Car Parks
Chorley Town Hall is located on Market Street, in Chorley Town Centre, directly opposite Cleveland Street Car Park. It is easily accessible by public transport:
Chorley Bus Station is a 5-minute walk away and serves all major bus routes connecting various settlements across Chorley.
Chorley Train Station is also within a 5-minute walking distance, providing rail links to Manchester and Preston.
Leyland
Paid for short stay and long stay (maximum 8 hr) parking is available outside Leyland Civic Centre. Parking is also available off site at Tesco, Leyland Leisure Centre and local roads.
Busses (e.g. 111) run every c.15mins from Preston, passing Leyland Rail Station to the bus interchange at Tesco. The Civic Centre is a c5.min walk from Tesco.
Participants and Hot Seating
The Inspectors guidance notes explain the role of the Inspectors and the purpose of the hearings. These notes alongside the Inspectors’ Matters, Issues and Questions will help guide the discussion during the sessions.
If you are taking part in the hearings, please check the latest programme to confirm the hearing times. All participants should make sure they are listed as participants for all the sessions they expect to participate in.
If your name is missing, contact the Programme Officer straight away.
Participants are responsible for checking the timetable and being on time.
The Programme Officer will endeavour to inform the participants of any late changes to the timetable, but it is the responsibility of participants to keep themselves up to date with the arrangements and programme.
You must also be ready to attend Reserve sessions listed in the programme. The Inspectors will use these if any earlier sessions run out of time.
All participants need nameplates. Please make sure the Programme Officer has the names of your participant so she can prepare your nameplates in advance.
There is limited space at the hearing table. A number of extra seats ("hot seats") will be available for representors who request more than one speaker. It may not be possible to accommodate multiple requests for hot seats.
It is intended that hot seats are only available for people who will be speaking. Where possible it is suggested that support staff are kept to a minimum due to limited seating.
Please tell the Programme Officer the names of all your participants, including hot seaters.
If you are listed as a participant or hot seater, a nameplate will be placed at your seat. This is your assigned seat—please do not move it or sit anywhere else.
The Planning Inspectorate has produced a short guide for anyone taking part in a Local Plan Examination for the first time:
Local plans guide to taking part in examinations (opens new window)
Food and Refreshments
No eating may take place in the hearing rooms.
Preston Town Hall and Chorley Town Hall are located in the Town Centre so there are multiple establishments nearby where food can be purchased.
Leyland Civic Centre is located within a 5-minute walk to Tesco – Leyland Extra.
Accessibility
Preston Town Hall is wheelchair accessible. Disabled toilets are also available.
Chorley Town Hall is wheelchair accessible. The Council Chamber can be accessed via level access from the rear door. If accessing via the main entrance an elevator is available. Disabled toilets are also available.
Leyland Civic Centre is wheelchair accessible. Disabled toilets are also available.
Hearing loop systems are installed in the hearing room at all venues.
If you have any specific needs, please tell the Programme Officer as soon as possible.
Plug sockets
Plug sockets will be available for participants at Chorley Town Hall and Leyland Civic Centre through table sockets.
Preston Town Hall will have a limited number of floor extension sockets. As there are limited numbers of these, please ensure any devices you plan to use are fully charged before the sessions.
Wi-Fi
Publicly accessibly wi-fi is available at all hearing venues. Please speak to the Programme Officer if you need any assistance in accessing this.
