Redevelopment of former Chorley courts into apartments approved
A scheme to create a 52-apartment accommodation block on the former site of Chorley Magistrates’ Court has been approved by the council
The town centre site will also include ground floor commercial space.
PWA Planning assisted its client, Walker & Williams, in gaining full planning permission for the scheme which will see the demolition and redevelopment of the former Chorley Magistrates’ Court in St Thomas’s Square.
The proposed 11-storey scheme has been designed to complement the adjacent Chorley Town Hall and other historic or listed buildings located nearby.
It will provide a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments split over the first to 11th storeys with a roof terrace above and three ground floor commercial units.
Dan Hughes, planning director at PWA Planning, said: “Our application followed detailed pre-application discussions with planning officers that commenced three years ago to ensure we were able to arrive at a scheme that could finally deliver a viable use for the former magistrates court site.
“The proposed development will provide a landmark building in support of the council’s regeneration plans for the town centre, as well as delivering much needed open market homes in Chorley that will be desirable because of their town centre location.”
Max Walker-Williams, of Walker & Williams, said: “We’re proud to be bringing forward this high quality scheme of apartments that will provide new town centre living opportunities for Chorley. Our thanks to the whole project team for their determination and dedication in helping us get this planning approval over the line.”
He added: “We’re now looking forward to progressing to the next stage and securing a development partner and getting the scheme moving.”
Chorley Magistrates’ Court has lain vacant since 2018 when cases were reassigned to Preston Magistrates’ Court.
The project team for the development included: Architects – FWP; Coal Mining Assessment – E3P; Viability Assessment – S106 Management; Heritage – Chris O’Flaherty; Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage – REFORD Consulting Engineers; Ecology – Batworker Ecological Consultancy; Transport – PSA Design; Tall Building Assessment – Urban Green Space.
