Chorley Council’s planning designation by the government has been lifted.
Confirmed by the Housing and Planning Minister today, the decision to de-designate Chorley Council comes into effect immediately, removing the option for applicants to bypass the council for their decision on major applications.
Gayle Wootton, Director of Property and Planning comments, “We welcome today’s news which is testament to the effort and commitment of the council. We have worked hard to develop an action plan which was presented to government last summer, and since March of this year, we have known that our performance was on the right side of their assessment metrics. We have had to wait until today to have the designation lifted by the Secretary of State, but are pleased that this now marks the end of our special measures period and our reputation as a good planning service is fully restored.”
The council was designated by the Secretary of State in 2023 as more than 10% of planning decisions made by the council for major applications were overturned by a Planning Inspector. As a result, throughout the designation period developers could take planning applications for new homes directly to the Planning Inspectorate.
The council has always considered the criteria for designation a blunt tool to measure performance and has campaigned to retain local control on important decisions for the borough.
Gayle Wootton continues, “The use of a percentage metric disadvantages small borough councils with a small number of planning appeals. In reality the designation has not impacted the planning process. I am pleased that no applicant took advantage of the option to bypass the council’s planning committee which is evidence of the council’s reputation locally. We fully understand the need for new development, however decisions are best made locally by those with knowledge of the local area and our communities.”
Actions taken to achieve de-designation include the development of a new Local Plan for Chorley, alongside partners in South Ribble and Preston and the work of the council in recent months to push on with this despite changes to housing numbers and the planning process.
The notice of de-designation can be found here Chorley Council: Notice of de-designation - GOV.UK