Chorley named and shamed as ‘underperforming’ in planning by Gove
The Lancashire local authority has disputed the label – pointing out that it has delivered more than its expected share of housing.
Michael Gove, the secretary of state for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, took no prisoners during his speech on Tuesday announcing the latest edition of the National Planning Policy Framework and the government’s efforts to speed up the planning process.
Gove described Chorley Council and Fareham Council as two local authorities that “persistently underperformed in dealing with planning applications”. Accordingly, he said the two councils would be designated because of “poor quality decision-making”. Place understands that this is due to the number of appeals the councils have lost.
Chorley Council had 15.6% of its major planning decisions overturned at appeal between October 2020 and September 2022 – the most recent figures available. This is significantly higher than most other councils, with the vast majority having less than 5% overturned.
Chorley’s stats focus on seven of the 45 major applications that the council considered during that timeframe. It is worth noting that only 11 of the council’s major application decisions went to appeal during this time, but having seven of those overturned means the city council has a 64% failure rate.
As designated councils, both Chorley and Fareham will have to craft an improvement plan. Developers will also, in the meantime, be able to bypass the council and go directly to the Planning Inspectorate to have their applications considered.
Chorley Council Leader Cllr Alistair Bradley was baffled by Gove’s words.
“We cannot understand why the secretary of state has made this announcement today,” he said.
“Chorley is by no means anti-development and, in fact, if you look at Chorley’s housing figures, we have delivered a great deal of homes – much more so than our neighbouring areas,” he continued.
“The government are well aware of this and so far have given us no proper explanation as to why then, this decision has been taken.”
Indeed, the government’s latest housing delivery figures, published on Tuesday, show that Chorley Council has enabled the delivery of 1,175 homes between 2019 and 2022 – 109% of its housing need for that period.
Bradley added that Chorley Council believed that if Gove designated the local authority it would be a move that “is not in any way valid in our view and seeks to ride roughshod over local democratic accountability”.
Chorley’s looming designation was far from the only significant moment in Gove’s Tuesday speech. He spoke at length about the five tenets that lead the latest edition of the National Planning Policy Framework: beauty, infrastructure, democracy, environment, and neighbourhood – or B.I.D.E.N. He joked: “I hope I will not be misinterpreted by anyone when I say I am violently pro-BIDEN”.
Gove also delved into various methods of supporting local authorities with handling planning applications, including the first round of awards for the Planning Skills Delivery Fund and the recently enacted increase in application fees. The money raised through those fees will be ringfenced for planning support, with the fees set to rise in line with inflation, Gove said.
After showcasing the carrot, Gove brought out the stick. Gove pinpointed seven non-North West local authorities for their failure to adopt a local plan since 2004, adding that “there is no excuse for any local authority to not have a plan in place”.
Delving into the housing delivery test figures, he pointed out that 20 local authorities will be subject to “presumption” for their failure to produce the appropriate amount of housing. Being subject to presumption means that planning powers are restricted for these councils, meaning that the local authority will largely be unable to reject plans that meet NPPF rules. Chorley is not among the 20 authorities highlighted, but Bury, Rossendale, and Trafford are. Those three authorities delivered 46%, 63%, and 65% of the housing units needed in the three years ending in 2022.
Gove also introduced measures to ensure statutory consultees respond to planning applications within the current timeframe, including a three-month review of the current consultee system. The results of this review will be announced in 2024.
Chorley cannot be surprised at this. They have wasted significant public resource in pursuing appeals that would never stand a chance. It’s good that Government is now naming and shaming such poor politicised planning decisions.
By YIMBY United
Is Gove having a laugh were surrounded by new houses being built
By Carolyn Rowe
Please please please stop building in the Chorley area. The greenbelt is disappearing and hospitals, doctors and roads can’t cope. Why don’t you build in the southwest. No? I wonder why
By Lee Whittaker
This is an outrageous statement fuelled by a total lack of understanding of of environment in Chorley. The council are certainly not anti house building. Ma bye Gove should consider why it’s not appropriate to build on land that promotes flood damage to surrounding areas like Croston. Natural soak always are there for a reason. Houses are being built at the moment on land over huge mining areas. There is no extra infrastructure in place, already we do not have enough doctors, dentists or school places near to people’s homes. No transport links or adequate maintenance of roads destroyed by constant construction traffic. Does the north really exist for our politicians?
By Anonymous
I think we could add a good number of other Local Authority areas in the North West to the list although sound bite politics from Gove. The Government that has done little to push much needed housing and economic growth to the region other than 2 bed flats in towns with few services and little or no affordable commitment
By Kier Royale
It doesn’t help that Chorley is without a proper MP who can speak and stand up for the town in parliament, instead we have the pompous Speaker of the House. However, Chorley has taken more than its fair share of housing without the necessary improvements in infrastructure to support them. Unsuitable sites are getting passed for development by the Planning Inspectorate such as Blainscough Lane in Coppull and Town Lane in Whittle. Though Chorley Council does reject development that they don’t have a hope of defending at appeal such as Charter Ln in Charnock Richard and land at Xton Business Park on Euxton Lane.
By Bill
Can’t help but wonder if Gove is actually targeting the Speaker, Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle. Bet we can find footage of Hoyle telling Gove to belt up and now he’s being a literal child about it.
By Anonymous
Think Gove has underperformed in his role.
By Anonymous
Hmmmm. Is Gove also setting the scene for pushing through a third prison in the same location? Yes there is much need for new prisons but they need to be distributed more equally!
By Drew
Tell Mr lindsey Holye to get back to his own town and start supporting the area that voted him in and represent the area, there is enough building taking place around here with commercial and housing nr m61 junction and around the local area already can’t move around hear it’s ridiculous, Mr Gove wouldn’t like it you can bet his house is in a quiet place.
By Anonymous
Mr Gove needs to look more closely at Chorley’s performance in recent years. The development of the former ROF site, fir example, which created an entire village – literally thousands of houses, as well as all the smaller developments of 50 to 150 houses and flats!
By S.T. Schofield
The state of planning is 100% Gove’s mess and he is just spraying bullets out of his bunker before the inevitable happens. Chorley (a Council that’s trying hard in tough circumstances) is a weird one to single out so it must be down to them being a) Labour and b) his personal antipathy to Lindsay Hoyle.
By Gene Walker
Good on Gove for highlighting Chorley and how badly they have dealt with their housing numbers in recent times. Hopefully this means more housing will start to get built in the area. Pity he didn’t name a few more of the NW Authorities in there!
By Anon
Is this a joke we have so many new housing developments in the area mot not enough social infestucture for any more
Schools doctors dentists etc
By Anonymous
I have lived in Chorley for a few years …I moved from an area where they would build on land the size of a stamp …we lost loads of land for children to play roads got gridlocked we experienced flooding in areas of new builds that we never had before …schools bursting at the seams my daughters primary had 60 plus children in nursery and reception come year 1 they got split into 2 classes 30 plus kids in each class…couldn’t get a gp appointment that was even before covid ..Hospitals are rammed ..I really do hope Chorley area doesn’t end up the same way …
By Anonymous
Gove’s comments are unbelievable.
Chorley has overperformed in its delivery of new housing.
By Snowman
@ 1:29 pm By Anon – you can’t seriously claim that not enough houses have been built in Chorley in recent years? Also there are hundreds more already approved. The roads around Chorley are gridlocked at peak times, doctors and dentists are all full, there is a shortage of school places etc.
To quote the article, “Chorley Council has enabled the delivery of 1,175 homes between 2019 and 2022 – 109% of its housing need for that period.”
By Frank
Frank – you miss the point entirely. Chorley has been forced to over deliver (by only 9%) it’s housing targets precisely because it keeps losing appeals on sites that are perfectly reasonable to be developed.
By Adam
Maybe Chorley are one of the few authorities who don’t manipulate the planning figures?
By Anonymous
So Gove is removing local democracy and accountability from planning decisions. We have a proactive Council working hard to improve the town. Is Gove victimising Chorley because the people have more sense that elect a Tory council? Hopefully just one more year left of this shambolic and divisive government.
By Chorley Cake
What a joke.. There’s hardly any land left in the chorley area.. New property being built everywhere..
By lee parr
If Gove wants these areas to build perhaps, he should ask his boss, to pay for some decent transport infrastructure. Perhaps build 20.000 homes in Leigh, and then have an extra 40.000 people driving on the East Lancs to Manchester each day, because there is no railway station.
By Elephant
Chorley council is pathetic in every thing and the speaker of house is only good for going to the pie shop
By Mr s. Heaton
Chorley is a good place to live and I support the Council’s efforts to preserve our quality of life by resisting rampant new developments. It seems that semi rural areas are becoming built up, placing too much strain on roads and other infrastructure. I emailed Michael Gove at my Council’s request to make my views known – I received an acknowledgment, and nothing else. Michael Gove is no democrat.
By David Barwell
Yes I totally agree plenty of new homes been built in chorley. But pity most of them are not social housing to rent. The waiting list for selectmove keeps growing. 5years people have to wait to get any chance of social housing. But that doesn’t surprise me one bit.then when you do complain to councillors and chorley council .people are told there’s not enough housing been built.yes for desperate families that can’t afford to go on the property ladder to buy a home.
By Curly
When you live in a quiet village blighted by speeding traffic that is designated for infil and get 76 houses passed by the planning inspectorate and cant do anything about it somebody has got their wires crossed somewhere! CBC wanted this build initially but when they saw the traffic and realised how dangerous it would be withdrew the application they are only guilty of having common sense
By Anonymous
Average wage is £34,963. A couple on an average wage could borrow £314,667 and easily save the 10% deposit so realistically buy a house for £346,133. Are there any homes for sale in Lancashire at this price?
By Gilly
IMO, to much has been built in the same areas. Perhaps houses should be spread out further afield? Lots of houses have been forcibly passed in dense and busy areas and yet new developments in the same areas continue to be pushed. Greenbelt can still be protected if land is strategically released in the right locations. This would free up roads and prevent further congestion in peak residential and commercial areas. If people want new doctors, dentist and schools then make it mandatory for larger scale developments to be passed that include the amenities – let them be built first before any housing takes place. As populations increase good developments are going to be needed in the right areas. Perhaps we could build on the south side of Adlington, let people spill out into the neighbouring communities. Horwich & Bolton are both on the doorstep and have great travel and transport links. More houses in Euxton, Bucksaw and around Chorley Town Center are not the answer.
By Kath Whiley
Another stupid decision by Gove, he should visit Chorley and see for himself the amount of house building going on at this very moment.
By Jeff Mallinson