Central Lancs battles to keep local plan on track

Warned by planning inspectors that their draft plan may be unsound, Chorley, Preston, and South Ribble councils have stressed their desire to make changes and seek adoption for the document as soon as possible.

Following the conclusion of plan examination hearings in February, Planning Inspectors Anne Jordan and Alison Partington wrote to the councils on 4 March, warning that in its current form the plan is unsound, requesting further work to address certain issues.

The councils submitted the draft document, Central Lancs Local Plan (CLLP), in summer 2025m looking to tackle spatial development planning together. Following examination, four issues in particular were highlighted.

Housing supply in Chorley and South Ribble. The Inspectors said they are “not assured” either can demonstrate a five-year supply, leading to a situation where the combined supply across all three local authorities falls short. The Inspectors said they “could find no reasoned justification” for the use of a stepped trajectory in Chorley, and also warned of over-reliance on windfall sites.

Employment land in Chorley and South Ribble. Although the Inspectors said it is appropriate to use past supply as a means of assessing future requirement for industrial and warehousing, they could “find no sound reason for using net projections in Chorley and South Ribble and this should be reviewed and reassessed”. More clarity in allocations is sought in several areas – it is noted that one site named is now coming forward under another use, while some of the Preston sites are long-standing, but slow-moving.

Lack of detail on planning for longer-term needs – including higher levels of housing and a broader range of employment sites. It is noted that the National Cyber Force headquarters – a flagship project for South Ribble – is likely to place additional pressure on both housing and employment land requirements in the medium to longer term.

Inadequate viability assumptions and education infrastructure provision in Chorley, which the Inspectors stress must be addressed through a plan-led approach rather than relying on windfalls, particularly given the evidence on limited availability of sufficiently sized sites.

The Inspectors recommend that even in the event of further work resulting in a plan that passes muster and can be adopted, work should immediately begin preparing a new plan under the provision of forthcoming regulations.

The Inspectors set a two-week deadline for the councils to provide an answer on whether or not they wish to continue pursuing a plan-led approach, and if so when they could provide a realistic timetable.

Potential factors coming into play here could include pending local government reorganisation of all Lancashire’s councils, and upcoming local elections in May, along with the implementation of a new plan-making system.

Nor will the work will be minor. Sounding a note of caution, paragraph 37 of the Inspectors’ letter notes that “the additional work needed to address the deficiencies we have identified will likely be substantial and introduce new evidence”.

The Inspectors now have their answer. In a response posted on the Central Lancs Local Plan website on 17 March, the councils responded thus:

“The three Councils welcome the opportunity to prepare the additional evidence to give you the assurance that the CLLP is a sound plan and thereafter enable progress to adoption, and we remain committed to maintaining a plan-led approach.

“The Councils acknowledge the measures set out in the letter, many of which are already significantly progressed since the close of the hearings, and will provide the evidence necessary to demonstrate that each council is able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

“The Councils hereby confirm we want to proceed with the Plan on the basis outlined in your letter and we will be able to provide a realistic timescale and project plan for undertaking the work outlined by no later than Wednesday 8 April 2026.”

Committing to the Local Plan seemingly reflects a desire to get ahead of the game. Adoption of CLLP might allow Central Lancs to benefit from the NPPF transitional arrangement, which would mean lower housing requirements; and to avoid further Green Belt review. However, as the Inspectors warned, this will take time and effort for further evidence to be amassed, examined and reviewed.

Chorley in particular has been beset with planning struggles in recent years. A glut of planning applications last year led it to ask government for Green Belt protections while the Local Plan is prepared.

Before that, it had been carpeted by government for under-performance in planning, leading to a situation in 2023 where certain schemes put forward were permitted to bypass the local system and go directly to the Planning Inspectorate for determination.

On top of all this, it remains to be seen how “Central Lancashire” as a concept will fare beyond the local government reorganisation demanded by Whitehall.

Of five options placed on the table for carving up Lancastrian governance, the preferred option of all three of the CL councils is for a four-way split, along north-south-east-west lines. This would place Preston in the northern council and Chorley and South Ribble in the southern.

Dan Mitchell, partner at Marrons, said: “It is clear from the Inspectors’ post hearing note that there are significant challenges that the Central Lancashire authorities will now need to address, centred around housing supply deficiencies and the need for more employment land in Chorley and South Ribble in particular.

“The Councils have stated that they intend to progress with this work, and the Examination will likely re-open later this year, but it is a significant challenge and the Inspectors will need to be convinced that there is genuine commitment to delivering more growth.”