Plans to create 52 apartments with ground floor commercial space on the site of former court buildings in Chorley town centre have been given approval.
PWA Planning has 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 eleventh 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, added: “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.
“We’re now looking forward to progressing to the next stage and securing a development partner to and getting the scheme moving.”
Chorley Magistrates Court has lain vacant since 2018 when cases were reassigned to Preston Magistrates Court.
Established in 1984, Walker & Williams is a family-owned business that has developed a number of residential, commercial, hospitality and care schemes across the North West.
The project team for the development included FWP (architects), E3P (coal mining assessment), S106 Management (viability), Chris O’Flaherty (Heritage), REFORD Consulting Engineers (flood risk and drainage), Batworker Ecological Consultancy (ecology), PSA Design (transport), and Urban Green (tall building assessment).