UU gets consent for housing on brownfield site

United Utilities has gained planning approval to turn seven acres that once contained a training and conference centre in Chorley, Lancashire into a residential development of 70 homes.

The site previously had outline planning approval for a mixed use scheme comprising housing and employment uses. Whilst the housing element was fulfilled with 133 residential dwellings built by Arley Homes North West, the 100,000 sq ft of business space failed to generate market interest despite a 36-month marketing exercise.

Chris Sinton, planner at HOW Planning, advising UU, said: "The brownfield site has been under-utilised for a long time and the new residential scheme will complement the surrounding residential areas and ensure the effective re-use of what is a vacant site."

The Myles Standish Way site is bounded immediately to the North by two existing residential developments; Arley Homes' Duxbury Manor and Duxbury Gardens. A public consultation scheme demonstrated strong support for further residential development at the site, which already benefits from a new vehicular access point off the Myles Standish Way and additional access reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles.