Energy centre and office cabin at Moss Lane, Ulnes Walton, Leyland

What was proposed

The application sought reserved matters approval for the appearance, layout, scale and landscaping of a new energy centre and executive cabin.

“Proposal: Reserved matters including appearance, layout, scale and landscaping pursuant to phase 3 of planning permission ref. 21/01028/OUTMAJ for the construction of a new energy centre and executive cabin ancillary to the development of the new prison.”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The site is within Green Belt land between two prisons, with the energy centre replacing facilities on existing hardstanding and the cabin replacing an office portacabin.

“The application site is located in the Green Belt at Ulnes Walton and comprises 43.5 ha of land in MoJ ownership. It surrounds HMP Garth and HMP Wymott in the west of the Borough of Chorley, close to the boundary with South Ribble district, which lies to the north.”

“This reserved matters application relates to a smaller area of the wider site to be developed under phase 3 of planning permission ref. 21/01028/OUTMAJ. This concerns two smaller areas of the site located centrally between HMP Garth and HMP Wymott where a new energy centre and executive cabin are proposed.”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval, finding the design, scale, layout and landscaping acceptable in the prison campus setting.

“It is recommended that reserved matters permission for details of appearance, layout, scale and landscaping is approved subject to conditions.”

Officer report

Design and neighbour impact

Officers considered the buildings appropriately designed and screened, with no adverse effect on local character or residential amenity.

“The proposed executive cabin is similar in dimension to the cabin that it would replace but located within a different position further to the south. The combination of the siting and revised scale is such that the landscape and visual impact is considered both less than that of the existing buildings and that assessed for these buildings at the outline stage.”

“The positions of the proposed energy centre and executive cabin are such that they are contained within the centre of the existing prison campus between HMP Wymott and HMP Garth. The energy centre would be located some distance from the nearest residential properties that lie more than 300m to the northeast. Both buildings would be screened from the nearest dwellings by the existing prison buildings at HMP Wymott.”

Officer report

Parking and construction concerns

The parish council and one objector raised concerns about parking capacity, existing parking problems and construction traffic.

“Loss of car parking and current parking issues. • Construction vehicles using the prison access roads.”

“Ulnes Walton Parish Council: objects to this application on the grounds of insufficient information provided on the actual requirements for parking provision. Currently, car parks are overflowing with vehicles parking on Moss Lane and estate roads and no evidence has been submitted to demonstrate the 32 bays proposed (inc 1 disabled bay and an additional larger bay) described within document 608623_7161-RAM-0041-ZZ- D-C-0701 will be adequate.”

Officer report

Officers' response on parking

Officers said the proposal would add parking spaces and that construction traffic would be managed through an existing planning condition.

“The submitted drawings now propose an uplift in parking spaces. The existing parking area is not formally laid out but informally accommodates between 16-18 cars (depending on how cars have parked in the area). The proposed executive cabin site plan (ref.”

“Construction traffic and associated construction activity would be managed through the Construction Management Plan required by condition 20 of the outline planning permission. This would ensure that the impacts from construction activity and that associated moment of construction vehicles is minimised as far as practically possible.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The agent spoke to the committee during consideration of the application.

The committee vote

Councillors approved the reserved matters permission by eight votes to two, subject to conditions.

“After careful consideration, it was proposed by Councillor Alex Hilton, seconded by Councillor Adrian Lowe, and subsequently resolved (8 for, 2 against) that reserved matters permission for details of appearance, layout, scale and landscaping be approved subject to conditions.”

Minutes