Chorley Profile State of the Borough Report

November 2010

Purpose

This Profile includes updated information about a wide range of environmental, social and economic characteristics relating to the borough of Chorley. It is hoped it will act as a useful reference source for Council staff and Members, external organisations, community groups and

members of the public.

The Profile also forms part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework, which will replace the current Local Plan.

The Profile has been produced by staff at the Borough Council with the assistance of local organisations and individuals.

If you have any comments on the Profile please send them to Adam Birkett, Planning Policy, Partnerships, Planning and Policy, Chorley Borough Council, Civic Offices, Union Street, Chorley PR7 1AL or email contact@chorley.gov.uk

This information can be made available to you in larger print or on audio tape, or translated into

your own language. Please telephone 01257 515282 to access this service.

01257 515822

01257 515823

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1. Location and Physical Characteristics Location

Area of Borough

Physical Characteristics of the Borough

History and Heritage Listed Buildings

Conservation Areas

Historic Parks and Gardens

Population Total and Projected Population

Ageing Population

Ethnicity

Economic Development Employment Rate

Working Age Population

Business Activity and Floorspace

Employee Jobs

Availability of Sites and Premises

Out Commuting (Travel to Work)

Rural Diversification

Earnings, Income and Benefits Income

Benefit Claimants and Unemployment

Worklessness

Deprivation

Environment Habitats and Species

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Other Designated Natural and Geological Heritage Sites

Air Quality and Emissions

River Quality

Land Contamination

Waste and Recycling

Renewable Energy

Flooding

Health and Wellbeing Health Care Provision

Dental Care

Personal Carers

Life Expectancy

Births, Deaths, Mortality Ratios and Fertility Rates

Teenage Pregnancy

Mobility Problems

Learning Disabilities

Keeping Active

Summary of Chorley Health

Education and Youth Development

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Pre-School Nursery Education and Child Day Care

Primary Education

Secondary Education

Special Needs

Adult/Higher Education

Business and Community Involvement

Youth Services

Crime and Disorder Crime Summary

Ward Level Crime Summary

Housing Households

Housing Needs

House Prices and Affordability

Empty Homes

Housing Tenure

Condition of Housing: Private Sector Housing

Condition of Housing: Social Housing

Supporting People and Grants

Homelessness

Transport Road Connections

Road Safety/Traffic Calming

Rail Travel: Stations

Bus Routes and Opportunities

Car Parking

Cycling

Horse Riding

Walking

Waterways

Air Passenger/Freight Services

Shopping Chorley Town Centre Role

Out of Centre Superstores/Retail Warehouses

Neighbouring Towns and Cities

Local Provision

Tourism, Culture and Leisure Built and Natural Attractions

Accommodation

Business Tourism

Food and Drink

Exhibition and Performance Venues

Events and Activities

Famous People

Sports Facilities and Developments

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1. Location and Physical Characteristics

Location Chorley Borough is located in Lancashire in North West England, with Greater Manchester to the south. It is approximately 25 miles to the centre of Manchester and the large urban centres of Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan and Preston are all within a 12-mile radius.

1.1

Area of Borough

The Borough extends to about 205 km2 (approximately 80 square miles). In area terms it is the fifth largest shire district of 12 in Lancashire.

1.2

Physical Characteristics of the Borough In the east of the Borough are sparsely populated upland areas forming part of the West Pennine Moors. On the lower slopes are stone built villages. The central part of the District between the M6 and M61 motorways is more built up, with the principal market and former mill town of Chorley and to the south Adlington, which is an important engineering centre, and the township of Coppull. To the north and west of Chorley town are the settlements of Clayton-le-Woods, Whittle- le-Woods and Euxton, which have expanded considerably through suburban developments since the 1960s.

1.3

1.4 Also to the north-west of Chorley town is Buckshaw Village, where the transformation of the former Royal Ordnance ammunition factory site into a major new urban village is well underway. The scheme will eventually provide homes for 8,000 people, extensive employment premises and a new railway station. The west of the Borough is typically lowland countryside, which becomes flatter further to the west as it becomes part of the Lancashire Plain. Here, red brick built villages are characteristic, the largest being Eccleston and Croston,

suburban growth in the second half of the 20th century. which each experienced some

Figure 1: Location of Chorley Borough and its Towns and Villages

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2. History and Heritage

Listed Buildings The Borough contains a wealth of historic buildings of national, regional and local importance, which are ‘Listed’ for their special architectural or historic interest. There are 480 Listed Buildings in Chorley, divided into three categories: Grade I, Grade II*, Grade II. Grade I and II* Listed Buildings include the finest historic buildings in the country. Five are Grade I (Astley Hall, Heskin Hall, Hoghton Tower, The Great Barn at Hoghton Tower and Mawdesley Hall), 25 are Grade II* and all are protected from inappropriate alterations or demolition. Despite this protected status, some of these Listed Buildings have fallen into a state of disuse and disrepair and three of the Grade I and II* sites are included in English Heritage’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ (formerly known as ‘Buildings at Risk’) register. These are shown below:

2.1

2.2 Bank Hall, Bretherton: Country house first built in 1608, and extensively added to between 1832-3. Derelict since 1985, English Heritage funded emergency repairs to stabilise the stair tower in 2002. Applications have recently been submitted for a scheme being carried out by the Heritage Trust for the North West and Urban Splash for the renovation of the hall for residential use with enabling development for further residential units.

2.3 Lower Burgh Hall, Chorley: Early C17 timber-framed farmhouse, with C19 additions. English Heritage has funded a condition survey and structural repairs were completed in 2009. Restoration works to the interior are continuing.

2.4 Buckshaw Hall, Euxton: Timber-framed former manor house dating from early C17 and restored in 1885. Unoccupied since WWII, the building forms part of the former Royal Ordnance site, now being developed for housing. Structural repairs are completed and internal works are

ongoing. Sold in 2009 to a private individual.

2.5 There are also a number of Grade II and locally important but unlisted sites in danger. In total there are 82 buildings that are not included in the national lists but are still significant in the borough, and have been recorded in a Local List. (Source: ChorleyCouncil)

Conservation Areas Each townscape tells the story of its unique development and gives us a sense of place, continuity and cultural identity. Where these places are of special architectural or historic interest or deserve to receive careful protection, they can be designated as conservation areas. The Council has identified and designated 9 Conservation Areas which are located at St George’s Street, Chorley, St Laurence’s, Chorley, Abbey Village, Bretherton, Brindle, Croston, Rivington, White Coppice and Withnell Fold

2.6

2.7 Chorley Council is currently undertaking a programme of reviewing all conservation areas in Chorley and are also looking at whether any further areas can be designated.

Historic Parks and Gardens There are a number of historic parks and gardens in the Borough, including four on English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. These are shown below:

2.8

Lever Park: The roughly 160 hectare site is situated between the villages of Rivington and Horwich, on land which slopes westwards down to Lower Rivington Reservoir. Gifted to the people of Bolton by Lord Leverhulme, Lever Park has been a country park since 1904.

Rivington Gardens: The roughly 18 hectare gardens are situated about 1.2 kilometres east of Rivington on steeply sloping land which rises to over 310 metres above sea level and overlooks Lever Park and the reservoirs in the valley to the west. There are currently proposals for the

restoration of the gardens.

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Astley Hall, Astley Park: Astley Hall is situated within Astley Park, a late-17th-century park which was re-landscaped in the early-19th century. The site was adapted as a public park in the 20th century, and now occupies 43 hectares. In 2005 Chorley Borough Council were awarded over £2.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to renovate Astley Park, which lies to the north west of Chorley town centre. Work started in February 2006 and as a result of the regeneration work there are a number of opportunities arising for the development and management of some exciting new facilities within the park including a lake and water feature, pets corner, play area, and other public facilities

Hoghton Tower: Hoghton Tower is situated between Preston and Blackburn about 1 kilometre east of the village of Hoghton. Hoghton Tower is a site of medieval origins, the present house being a 16th-century fortified house with enclosed courtyard and terraced gardens. The gardens occupy about 1 hectare within woodland and parkland of about 15 hectares. (Source: Park and GardensUK)

2.9 To celebrate Chorley’s history and heritage a Heritage Trail was launched to allow local people and visitors to learn more about Chorley's past. The Heritage Trail is a step-by-step guide around the town centre, highlighting significant historic monuments that can still be seen in the town today. It is just under one and a quarter miles and takes approximately one hour to complete. A leaflet guide for the Heritage Trail is available from Council Offices.

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3. Population

Total and Projected Population During the 1980’s Chorley Borough was one of the fastest growing districts in the country as it accommodated New Town expansion. Since the mid-nineties population growth in the borough

3.1

increased at a constant rate. The population grew by 4.1% between censuses.

the 1991 and 2001

120,000

110,000

100,000

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Year

2020 2025 2030

Figure 2: Mid-Year Population and Projected Population until 2033 PopulationProjections2008,ONS)

(Source: Subnational

3.2 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that the total population of the Borough was 104,800 in mid-2009, an increase of 0.1% from the previous year. Since 2001 the population of the Borough has increased by 4,200 (4.2%) with 1,400 attributed to natural growth and a net migration gain of 2,800. This exceeds that rate of growth at the county (2.6%) and regional (1.8%) level. The total population of Chorley is projected to rise to 111,200 by 2020 and 115,600 by 2030, continuing to surpass the projected county and regional increase. (Source: Mid-Year PopulationEstimates,ONS)

3.3 Table 1 shows that since 2001 the largest increase in population was seen in Chorley South West, possibly due to the new housing stock at the Gillibrand development. A large increase in population was also seen in Euxton North possibly due to the housing development on Euxton Lane. However, the wards of Chorley North East and Wheelton and Withnell recorded a fall of over 3%.

Ageing Population It is predicted that there will be a significant increase in people aged 60 or over. In 2009 it was estimated that 19.8% of the Chorley population was aged 60 or over, but by 2020 it is estimated that 27,100 (24.4%) of the population will be in this age range, above national and regional averages. See table 2 for further information. (Source: Subnational Population Projections 2008, ONS)

3.4

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Popula

tion

Mid-Year Population Projected Population

Table 1: Population Estimates for 2009 Wards, 2001 - 07

Source: Mid-Year Population Estimates, ONS

Table 2: Population Estimates and Projections: Selected age groups

By broad age group: Children (0-15), Working age (16-64M/59F), Older people (65M/60F and over)

Source: Mid-Year Population Estimates and 2008-based Subnational Population Projections, ONS

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Allages 0-15 16-64M/59F 65M/60F+

England

2009 51,809,700 9,704,400 32,083,300 10,022,000

% 100.0 18.7 61.9 19.3

2020 56,039,900 10,549,400 33,331,500 12,159,000

% 100.0 18.8 59.5 21.7

North West

2009 6,897,900 1,297,100 4,243,500 1,357,300

% 100.0 18.8 61.5 19.7

2020 7,170,100 1,364,800 4,198,200 1,607,100

% 100.0 19.0 58.6 22.4

Lancashire

2009 1,165,800 215,400 705,300 245,100

% 100.0 18.5 60.5 21.0

2020 1,215,100 221,700 692,800 300,600

% 100.0 18.2 57.0 24.7

Chorley

2009 104,800 19,000 65,000 20,700

% 100.0 18.1 62.0 19.8

2020 111,200 20,100 64,000 27,100

% 100.0 18.1 57.6 24.4

Ward 2001 2007 % Change

Clayton-le-Woods West and Cuerden 4,501 4,446 -1.22%

Chisnall 4,189 4,144 -1.07%

Chorley North West 5,990 5,945 -0.75%

Chorley North East 6,614 6,568 -0.70%

Chorley East 6,647 6,608 -0.59%

Pennine 2,309 2,296 -0.56%

Euxton South 4,056 4,047 -0.22%

Clayton-le-Woods North 6,804 6,799 -0.07%

Coppull 6,512 6,510 -0.03%

Brindle and Hoghton 2,179 2,180 0.05%

Eccleston and Mawdesley 6,011 6,023 0.20%

Chorley South East 6,212 6,236 0.39%

Wheelton and Withnell 4,101 4,122 0.51%

Adlington and Anderton 6,998 7,042 0.63%

Heath Charnock and Rivington 2,225 2,244 0.85%

Astley and Buckshaw 3,535 3,579 1.24%

Euxton North 4,491 4,549 1.29%

Clayton-le-Woods and Whittle-le-Woods 6,895 7,021 1.83%

Lostock 5,778 5,893 1.99%

Chorley South West 7,648 7,804 2.04%

Ethnicity According to ONS statistics approximately 96.2% of the Borough population are white, 0.9% are mixed, 1.8% are Asian or Asian British, 0.5% are black or black British, and 0.6% are Chinese or other. Table 3 shows that the proportion of white residents in Chorley Borough is considerably higher than the average proportions seen in Lancashire and seen regionally and nationally despite the proportion of white residents falling by 0.3% since 2006 (Source: Population EstimatesbyEthnicGroup,ONS).

3.5

Table 3: Estimated resident population by ethnic group, mid-2007

Source: Population Estimates by Ethnic Group, ONS

3.6 From 2002 to 2009 the number of adult overseas nationals entering the Borough and allocated a national insurance number totalled 1,580, amongst the lowest in Lancashire. This included approximately 70 migrants from Hungary, 130 from India and 550 from Poland. (Source: National InsuranceNumber RegistrationsbyNon-UKNationals, DepartmentforWorkandPensions)

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Chorley % Lancashire % England % North West %

White British 94.3 90.5 83.6 89.4

White Irish and Other 1.9 2.2 4.6 2.7

Mixed 0.9 1 1.7 1.2

Asian or Asian British 1.8 5 5.7 4.4

Black or Black British 0.5 0.5 2.8 1.1

Chinese or Other Ethnic Group 0.6 0.7 1.5 1.1

4. Economic Development

4.1 Some of the world’s most high-tech companies can be found in the Borough, significant aerospace and defence clusters and a wide range of spin-off companies that specialise in high tech engineering, software, digital design, testing and automation. World leaders such as Telent

plc (formerly Marconi Interactive Services) and Multipart (previously Lex Auto Logistics Ltd) have their HQs here, but many dynamic smaller businesses also prosper in Chorley.

4.2 Chorley is aided by its strategic location with excellent communications via motorway, rail and air, and with the ability to tap into the market catchments of Manchester, Liverpool and Preston, which are on its doorstep. There is a readily available pool of skilled and flexible labour. Chorley Town Centre has recently undergone improvements, and further plans are in place to be a Contemporary Market Town. Chorley offers an attractive environment (about three quarters of the Borough is rural) and a high quality of life, which goes hand in hand. Some of the best schools in the Region can be found here. There’s a great choice of housing, community and leisure facilities.

Table 4: Overall Employment Rate

This is the proportion of the working age population (16-59 for females and 16-64 for males) who are in employment according to the International Labour Organisation definition.

Source: NOMIS

Employment Rate The overall employment rate (table 4) in Chorley has remained consistently above the national average. A high proportion of those in employment are managers and senior officials, have professional occupations or have associate professional & technical occupations (table5).

4.3

Table 5: Working age employment rates by occupation group (%), Oct 2008-Sept 2009

Source: Annual Population Survey, through Nomis, Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Working Age Population The working age population in Chorley reached a high of 65,700 residents in 2005 (table 6). Since 2005 the working age population has reduced slightly, yet population projections indicate a continued reduction of the working age population to 2030 and beyond. It is estimated that in

4.4

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Chorley

Lancashire North West

England

Managers and senior officials 19.3 14.4 14.9 16.1

Professional occupations 14.1 13.1 12.2 13.5

Associate professional & technical occupations 17.9 13.7 13.7 14.8

Administrative and secretarial occupations 8.6 11.3 11.8 11.3

Skilled trades occupations 10 10.7 10.3 10.3

Personal service occupations 10.8 10.3 8.8 8.4

Sales and customer service occupations 4.3 6.9 8.5 7.3

Process, plant and machine operatives 3.9 7.8 7.9 6.7

Elementary occupations 11 11.6 11.4 11.2

Apr 2004-

Mar 2005

Apr 2005-

Mar 2006

Apr 2006-

Mar 2007

Apr 2007-

Mar 2008

Apr 2008-

Mar 2009

Chorley 78.2 75.7 80.5 77.7 81.8

Lancashire 73.7 75.1 73.3 75 72.7

North West 72.7 72.5 72.3 72.3 71.1

England 74.7 74.4 74.3 74.5 74

2030 the working age population will be 62,900. Therefore, should the number of jobs available in the borough remain the same, jobs density will increase as the working

smaller.

population becomes

Table 6: Working Age Population, 1999 - 2008

Notes: % is a proportion of total population

Working age includes males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59

Source: ONS Mid-year population estimates

Business Activity and Floor Space During the decade from 1998 commercial and industrial floor space in Chorley, 4.5 consisting of retail, office, factory and warehouse premises, has fallen from 1,028,000 square meters to 847,000 square meters (table 7). This is due to a large reduction in the amount of factory floor space, and despite an increase in retail and office premises. Due to the decline of the manufacturing industry many former mills and factories we left empty or fell into disrepair resulting in their demolition or conversion to a more appropriate use.

Table 7: Commercial and Industrial Floorspace: Area, 1998 to 2008

[1] In 2005 rateable values were subject to a "revaluation" and are thus not wholly consistent with the earlier statistics. The process also introduced a new bulk class called "other bulk premises", many of which were previously classified as retail or office premises. From 2005 this class is included above within the "Total".

Source DCLG: Commercial and Industrial Floorspace Statistics

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Retail premises Offices Factories Warehouses Total

Thousands M²

1999 153 69 566 238 1,026

2000 171 78 536 227 1,012

2001 177 82 526 229 1,014

2002 187 83 533 228 1,031

2003 186 82 525 231 1,024

2004 184 85 323 242 834

2005[1] 164 86 311 273 856

2006[1] 168 88 317 277 873

2007[1] 173 91 326 287 900

2008[1] 173 92 321 236 847

Chorley Chorley North West Great Britain

(%) (%) (%)

1999 62,700 63.4 60.5 61.3

2000 63,500 63.5 60.7 61.4

2001 63,800 63.4 60.9 61.6

2002 64,300 63.6 61.1 61.8

2003 65,000 63.7 61.3 61.8

2004 65,600 63.8 61.5 62

2005 65,700 63.4 61.7 62.1

2006 65,600 63.2 61.8 62.2

2007 65,500 62.9 61.8 62.2

2008 65,500 62.5 61.6 62

Despite the reduction in commercial and industrial floorspace the number of enterprises1

located in the borough has continued to increase. In 2009, there were 4,230 active enterprises (table 8) in Chorley. During the previous year there were 510 new enterprises created and 405 enterprises lost resulting in a 2.5% increase in enterprise stock, higher than comparative regional and national figures.

4.6

Table 8: Births and deaths of enterprises as a percentage of the enterprise stock, 2008

Note: Net change in stock = (Births - Deaths) / Stock of Enterprises

Source: Business Demography 2008 from Office for National Statistics (ONS)

4.7 The survival rate of new businesses in Chorley has reduced over the past year. The proportion of businesses surviving for three years has fallen from 69.3% in 2007 to 63.4% in 2008, and is now below regional and national figures.

Table 9: Survival of newly born enterprises, 2003 - 2005

Source: Business Demography 2008 from Office for National Statistics (ONS)

4.8 Table 10 shows the number of VAT-registered and/or PAYE-registered enterprises in the Borough and how the number of enterprises has changed since 2005. The number of enterprises

has slowly increased over the past five years, a trend matched at regional and national levels.

1 An enterprise is roughly equivalent to a single business, company or firm. Commonly used in other analyses is the local unit, which is roughly

equivalent to a single branch or site. Since many businesses have more than one branch or site, figures for local units are higher than those for enterprises.

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Births 1 year survival 2 year survival 3 year survival

Count Count % Count % Count %

Year of birth 2003

Chorley 495 465 93.9 390 78.8 335 67.7

North West 27,735 25,640 92.4 21,620 78 17,800 64.2

England 236,220 218,665 92.6 184,105 77.9 149,935 63.5

Lancashire 5,315 4,955 93.2 4,200 79 3,485 65.6

Year of birth 2004

Chorley 570 540 94.7 455 79.8 395 69.3

North West 28,845 27,145 94.1 22,810 79.1 19,100 66.2

England 248,450 234,160 94.2 195,545 78.7 161,975 65.2

Lancashire 5,935 5,600 94.4 4,750 80 4,050 68.2

Year of birth 2005

Chorley 560 530 94.6 440 78.6 355 63.4

North West 29,220 27,630 94.6 23,450 80.3 18,930 64.8

England 241,410 227,765 94.3 192,935 79.9 155,990 64.6

Lancashire 5,445 5,175 95 4,405 80.9 3,555 65.3

Stock

Births

Deaths Net

change Count Count % Count % %

Chorley 4,230 510 12.1 405 -9.6 2.5

North West 235,315 27,650 11.8 23,150 -9.8 1.9

England 2,024,990 238,895 11.8 192,955 -9.5 2.3

Lancashire 43,435 4,755 10.9 4,290 -9.9 1.1

Table 10: VAT-Registered (and/or PAYE-Registered) Enterprises, 2005 to 2009, and Active

Enterprises, 2005 to 2008

All figures are numbers of enterprises.

Some of the figures previously displayed here were from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The BERR has now discontinued its data releases and they have been replaced by data sets from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Since the two organisations use different definitions, comparisons should not be made between BERR and ONS data.

[1] Up to 2007 inclusive, these figures show all enterprises registered for VAT. From 2008 on, they show all enterprises registered for VAT and/or PAYE. This means there is a major discontinuity in the data

between 2007 and 2008 and caution should be taken when making comparisons across this discontinuity.

Source Office for National Statistics: UK Business: Activity, Size and Location for VAT-registered (and/or PAYE-registered) enterprises

4.9 Figure 3 shows that the authority has a reasonable number of enterprises compared to other authorities in Lancashire, particularly when the rurality of the Borough is taken into consideration. Chorley has the fifth highest number of VAT registered enterprises out of the twelve Lancashire

district authorities. Property and business services account for the largest proportion of the Borough’s amount.

enterprises, with the construction and retail industries also providing a substantial

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

Figure 3: VAT-Registered (and/or PAYE-Registered) Enterprises, 2009 (Source:Officefor NationalStatistics: UKBusiness: Activity,SizeandLocation)

Employee Jobs

The Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), conducted by the Office for National Statistics, provides information on the number of employee jobs by place of work. Employee numbers (table 11) in

4.10

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VAT-registered (and/or PAYE-registered) enterprises[1]

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Chorley 2,670 2,705 2,740 3,815 3,860

Lancashire 28,770 29,050 29,300 40,560 40,100

NorthWest 153,725 155,670 157,960 213,035 211,915

England 1,386,240 1,398,135 1,421,645 1,851,200 1,844,030

the authority have been increasing over recent years at a rate well in excess of those recorded in most other Lancashire authorities. The number of employee jobs in Chorley grew from 31,900 in 1999 to 39,400 in 2008, an increase of 23.4%. The large extension to the urban area, at the Buckshaw Village development at the former Royal Ordnance site, includes a significant amount of land for business development.

Table 11: Change in Employee Jobs, 1999-2008

[1] 1999 to 2005 figures based on 2003 standard industrial classification. [2] 2007 and 2008 figures based on 2007 standard industrial classification. SourceONS:AnnualBusinessInquiry

4.11 Table 12 shows how individual industries have contributed to the growth of employee jobs in the Borough in 2008. Manufacturing and finance and insurance sectors contribute a smaller proportion of employee jobs compared to Lancashire and the North West while accommodation and food, and administrative and support services contribute a much higher proportion of jobs. None of the industries have experienced employees job losses since 2001 while ‘banking, finance and insurance’, ‘public administration, education and health’, and ‘other services’ have substantially increased employee jobs.

4.12 The number of working age residents who are self employed has fallen in recent years. In 2005 self employment figures were above county and regional levels. Since 2005 the proportion of working age residents who are self employed has fallen by 33% to just 6%, substantially below

county, regional, and national levels.

Availability of Sites and Premises The borough has a wide variety of business and industrial space ranging from established industrial estates and small units in converted mills, to large new state-of-the-art manufacturing and logistics facilities. The Revolution is a major new logistics and industrial park that is under construction on the Strategic Regional Site on the eastern edge of Buckshaw Village. Over 167,000 square metres of large-scale industrial and business space is planned.

4.13

4.14 At Buckshaw Link, over 20,000 square metres of brand new industrial/commercial development is complete. Buckshaw Link is a development of 20 new industrial and warehouse units ranging in size from 6,425 - 36,382 sq ft. Also planned is Enterprise Village, which will provide a hub for the development, and growth of green technology businesses as well as quality managed workspace for new, micro and expanding businesses located at Buckshaw Village. The centre will benefit from the co-location of Business Venture Group, Chorley's enterprise agency, and the close proximity of Runshaw Business School and the University of Central Lancashire.

Out Commuting (Travel to Work) The 2001 Census of Population showed that the average distance travelled by Chorley Borough residents to fixed places of work is 14.9 km. This is greater than the average distance for Lancashire (12.9 km) and for England as a whole (13.3 km). A total of 48% of residents in employment worked within Chorley Borough and 52% travelled outside of the Borough to work.

4.15

The majority of residents working outside the Borough work in other Borough’s within Lancashire and Greater Manchester. There are however a significant number of residents working outside the North West with some residents travelling as far as London.

15

1999[1]

2008[2]

Change1999-2008

No. %

Chorley 31,900 39,400 7,500 23.4

Lancashire 442,900 491,900 49,100 11.1

North West 2,841,000 3,004,100 163,100 5.7

Great Britain 24,827,400 26,677,200 1,849,800 7.5

Table 12: Employee Jobs by Sector (%) , 2008

[1] The figures for Fylde and Preston have been adjusted to reallocate a large number of manufacturing jobs back to Fylde that were transferred to Preston in 2002. The jobs in question are allocated to an area for administrative purposes only and have little direct relevance to local employment in either Fylde or Preston.

Source ONS: Annual Business Inquiry

Table 13: % aged 16-64 who are self employed

Figures relate to the period Jan -Dec

Source: ONS annual population survey

Rural Diversification Poor profits in all sectors of the agricultural economy are leading to a general trend towards the diversification of farming activities. The number of full-time farmers has fallen from 286 in 2000 to 248 in 2007 (Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: June Survey of AgricultureandHorticulture).

4.16

4.17 Farmers are becoming increasingly active in the areas of tourism and recreation, such as at Cedar Farm in Mawdesley. There is scope in the Borough for further development of accommodation and recreational facilities in rural areas, although this is a very competitive

sector. It is often the case that those farm businesses most in need of an additional income

16

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Lancashire 8.8 7.9 8.0 9.4 9.2

Chorley 9.0 10.9 8.4 6.8 6.0

England 9.2 9.2 9.3 9.1 9.2

North West 7.6 7.9 7.5 7.8 7.9

Chorley

Lancashire North West

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 1.0 1.1 0.6

Mining, quarrying 0.0 0.1 0.1

Manufacturing 6.1 15.1 11.1

Electricity, gas, steam, air conditioning supply 0.0 0.3 0.2

Water supply; sewerage, waste management, remediation 0.5 0.8 0.6

Construction 5.6 5.7 5.5

Wholesale, retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles

16.5

16.8

16.7

Transportation, storage 3.3 3.6 4.7

Accommodation, food 8.6 6.6 6.7

Information, communication 3.0 2.3 2.7

Financial, insurance 1.5 2.1 3.6

Real estate 1.0 1.1 1.3

Professional, scientific, technical 5.1 4.3 6.0

Administrative, support service 11.4 6.2 7.8

Public administration, defence, compulsory social security 4.1 5.7 5.6

Education 10.9 11.6 9.6

Human health, social work 14.2 12.3 13.0

Arts, entertainment, recreation 2.8 1.9 2.2

Other service activities 4.1 2.3 2.1

source are the least able to raise the high levels accommodation or recreational/leisure facilities.

of investment capital required to establish

17

5. Earnings, Income and Benefits

Income Many local residents work outside of Chorley, often in higher paid jobs than those based in the Borough. This results in the Borough having higher average gross household income levels than Lancashire as a whole. In 2010 the average household income in Chorley, at over £37,000, was above county, regional and national averages. It was the second highest sum of all Lancashire’s districts and one of only four that exceeded the national average (figure4).

5.1

Figure 4: Mean Household Income by District, 2010 (Source:CACI,LancashireProfile)

5.2 All but four of Chorley wards (Chorley South East, Coppull, Chorley North East, and Chorley East) had average household incomes that were above the Lancashire average with Pennine ward recording the highest income in Lancashire at over £55,000 (figure5).

Figure 5: Mean Household Income by Wards, 2010 (Source:CACI,LancashireProfile)

18

5.3 Conversely the 2009 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings indicates that average yearly earnings for full-time employees (workplace based) in the Borough are below the UK (£26,146) and regional average (£24,000). The work-place based figure for Chorley is £23,909 and has risen 34.7% since 2002 compared to an average increase of only 24.4% across Lancashire, resulting in workplace based earnings for Chorley exceeding county figures in 2009. Average earnings in Chorley are marginally higher when measured by place of residence in comparison to place of work. The excellent transport connections to Manchester and other localities mean that the district records a positive benefit from commuter flows.

Table 14: Residence-based Gross Annual pay (£) - Full-time employee jobs, 2002 - 2009

Data relates to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Estimates are based on a 1% sample.

Source ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

Table 15: Workplace-based Gross Annual pay (£) - Full-time employee jobs, 2002 - 2009

Data relates to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Estimates are based on a 1% sample.

Source ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

Benefit Claimants and Unemployment The unemployment rate in Chorley increased sharply from 2008 to 2009 due to the global economic situation (table 16). The increase experienced in Chorley far exceeded that at county, regional and national levels. Unemployment during 2008 was particularly low in Chorley and, despite such an increase during 2009, unemployment rates remain amongst the lowest in Lancashire and below the regional and national average.

5.4

Table 16: Unemployment rate - aged 16-64

Figures relate to the period Jan -Dec

Source: ONS annual population survey, NOMIS

5.5 Although claimant count data is not regarded as the official measure for unemployment it provides an up-to-date guideline for unemployment at a lower level geographical area. The Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is payable to people under pensionable age who are available for, and actively seeking, work of at least 40 hours a week. Figures 6 and 7 show the proportion of people who are claiming unemployment-related benefits at borough and ward levels.

19

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

England 4.9 5.5 5.3 5.9 7.8

North West 5.3 5.4 5.7 6.4 8.7

Lancashire 4.4 4.7 5.3 6.0 6.8

Chorley 4.3 2.7 3.7 2.9 6.2

Median 2002 Median 2009 % change

England 20,706 26,138 26.2

North West 19,234 24,011 24.8

Lancashire 18,806 23,395 24.4

Chorley 17,749 23,909 34.7

Median 2002 Median 2009 % change

England 20,739 26,148 26.1

North West 19,281 24,000 24.5

Lancashire 19,401 23,816 22.8

Chorley 19,974 24,314 21.7

5.6 In July 2010 2.3% of the resident working age population of Chorley were claiming the Jobseekers Allowance unemployment-related benefit compared to 3.1% at the same time in 2009. The proportion of JSA claimants in Chorley has been consistently below regional and national figures. Figure 6 shows that during late 2008 to early 2009 the number of JSA claimants increased at local, regional and national levels due to the global economic slump. A high

proportion of claimants were recorded during 2009 until early 2010

decline.

when this figure began to

5

4.5

4

3.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

Figure 6: Total JSA claimants, July 2010 – (Source:ONSclaimantcountwithratesand proportions, Nomis)

5.7 At the ward level the proportion of JSA claimants varies considerably, from a high of 4.6% in Astley and Buckshaw ward to a low of 0.8% in Lostock ward. Generally the rural wards of the Borough have a lower proportion of JSA claimants. (Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions)

Table 17: Joining the Claimant Count (On-Flows during the Previous Five Quarters)

Source: Office for National Statistics via the National On-line Manpower Information System (NOMIS) website

20

% o

f w

ork

ing

age

po

pula

tio

n c

laim

ing

JS

A

3 months to April 2009

3 months to July 2009

3 months to October

2009

3 months to January

2010

3 months to April 2010

Yearly change

No. No. No. No. No. No. %

Chorley 1,794 1,561 1,618 1,472 1,227 −567 −31.6

Lancashire 20,456 17,848 19,111 18,805 15,668 −4,788 −23.4

NorthWest 141,123 126,885 135,626 130,539 111,881 −29,242 −20.7

Great Britain

1,122,058

984,963

1,048,768

1,010,765

865,574

−256,484

−22.9

Chorley North West Great Britain

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

Figure 7: Total JSA claimants at Ward level, July 2010 – (Source: ONS claimant count with

rates and proportions, Nomis)

At the UK level, JSA claimant count on-flows2 were down by −22.9% on the same period last year (see table 17). Within Lancashire on-flows were down by −23.4% on the April 2009 figure, marginally better than the UK figure. Chorley recorded the greatest drop in on-flows to the claimant count over the previous year (−31.6%). This suggests workers who reside in Chorley are not losing jobs as quickly as a year earlier. Local figures can be affected significantly by the closure of a major employer or employers or via a number of companies shedding staff in a specific month or quarter.

5.8

Worklessness Worklessness is a concept that goes beyond looking at unemployment benefit claimants by also looking at other people of working age that are not working, that are not in full time education and are not actively seeking work. Many of these people receive other forms of benefit, such as incapacity benefit and income support.

5.9

Table 18: Key benefit claimants (worklessness), 2005 - 2010

Note: % is a proportion of resident working age population of area. Key benefits consist of the groups: job seekers, incapacity benefits, lone parents, others on income related benefits, carers, disabled and bereaved.

Source: DWP benefit claimants - working age client group, NOMIS

5.10 Compared to national (15.1%) and regional (18.4%) figures levels of worklessness in the Borough are low (12.6%). Chorley figures increased during 2008/09 the along with the regional

2 Numbers Joining the Claimant Count

21

% o

f w

ork

ing a

ge

po

pu

latio

n c

laim

ing

JS

A

Date Chorley% NorthWest% Great Britain%

Feb-05 11.5 17.3 14

Feb-06 11.6 17.3 14

Feb-07 11.5 17 13.7

Feb-08 11.4 16.6 13.3

Feb-09 12.9 18.2 14.8

Feb-10 12.6 18.4 15.1

July 2010 July 2009

and national figures (see table 18). During the past 12 months the number of benefit claimants in Chorley has fallen while regional and national figures have continued to rise.

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0

Figure 8: Key benefit claimants by ward, February 2009 – (Source: DWP benefit claimants - working age clients for small areas, NOMIS)

5.11 There are a number of localities in the Borough where the level of worklessness is high (see figure 8). These include the mainly urban wards of Clayton-le-Woods North (21.0%), Chorley East (20.2%), and Chorley South West (19.0%). Areas of these wards also feature in the 20%

most deprived areas in the country (table19). The rural areas of Pennine (4.8%), Lostock (5.3%), and Eccleston and Mawdesley (6.6%) recorded the lowest proportion of residents claiming key benefits.

Deprivation The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2007 place Chorley in an improved position compared

to 2004, having moved 16 places up the rankings from 172nd most deprived to 188th most deprived, out of 354 local authorities across the country.

5.12

5.13 Chorley Borough is one of the least deprived boroughs in Lancashire with only Ribble Valley, Fylde and South Ribble being less deprived. Nationwide the borough is ranked 188 out of 354 districts, 1 being the most deprived. (Source:IndicesofDeprivation2007,CLG)

5.14 However, the Borough’s ‘Local Concentration’ of deprivation has increased and there are still 8

Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs)3 classed as being in the 20% most deprived of 32,482 areas in the country (see table 19). They are located in Chorley Town, mainly in the central, south- western and eastern areas, and Clayton Brook/Green. Chorley’s Community Strategy 2007-2025 has a priority to reduce pockets of inequality in the Borough, with one aim being that there are fewer than eight neighbourhoods in the 20% most deprived nationally.

3 Super Output Areas (SOAs) are part of a statistical geography introduced in 2004. Each Lower Layer Super Output Area (LLSOA) consists of

1,000 to 2,000 residents and they rest within current ward boundaries.

22

% o

f w

ork

ing

ag

e c

lien

ts f

or

sm

all

are

as

Table 19: Chorley LSOAs in the 20% most deprived in the country

Deprived

Source: Indices of Deprivation 2007, CLG

23

Ward

Description

Rank (of 32,482 English LSOAs)

Bottom % Most

Nationally

Chorley South

West

Moor Road North/Eaves Green Road Area, Chorley

3586

11.04%

Clayton-le-Woods

North

Clayton Brook North West

3783

11.65%

Chorley East Area Between Stump Lane & Lyons Lane, Chorley

3909

12.03%

Clayton-le-Woods North

Clayton Brook North East

4374

13.47%

Chorley South East East of Pall Mall/West of Pilling Lane Area, Chorley

4583

14.11%

Chorley North East Thornhill Area - Botany Bay/Coltsfoot Drive, Chorley

4621

14.23%

ChorleySouthEast Chorley Town Centre East 4643 14.29%

Chorley East Cowling/Eaves Lane South/Healey Nab Area, Chorley

6358

19.57%

6. Environment

Habitats and Species The Borough has a wide range of habitats that are important for biodiversity. The eastern part of the Borough has extensive areas of moorland, although this is of variable ecological quality. Where it is not overgrazed and intensively drained, moorland, heathland and bog vegetation provides valuable habitats for plants and animals. The reservoirs in the area also provide important habitats for breeding and overwintering wildfowl. Significant areas of ancient woodland remain in eastern and central areas of the Borough, especially in the ecologically important river valleys, which act as wildlife corridors. Gardens, allotments, open space and other open land also provide valuable habitats for some opportunist wild plant and animal species.

6.1

6.2 In the western lowland areas of the Borough intensive arable cropping has replaced much of the semi-natural habitats. However, isolated woodlands and copses, scrubland, species rich grassland and wetlands survive in places. Drainage ditches and many ponds can be found in the area, some of which are of great importance for their plant and animal communities, including water voles, the internationally scarce great crested newt, and the only known natural population of Jennings’ proboscis worm on Earth. Various species of bat and barn owls also hunt in the area.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest There are two designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the Borough, at Charnock Richard and White Coppice. Charnock Richard Pasture covers an area of 1.2 hectares and is important as one of the few species-rich unimproved grasslands remaining in Lancashire, a habitat which is becoming increasingly scarce nationally due to agricultural intensification. White Coppice Flush covers nearly 0.5 hectares and includes two plant communities that are rare nationally and several plant species that have very restricted distributions in Lancashire. Both SSSIs could be improved/enhanced through light grazing at certain times of the year (Source: EnglishNature).

6.3

Other Designated Nature and Geological Heritage Sites There are over 100 Biological Heritage Sites (some of which incorporate Ancient Woodland) and Local Nature Reserves in the Borough. There are also 11 Regionally Important Geological Sites. Organisations such as Chorley Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, United Utilities, The Woodland Trust and Groundwork are responsible for the management of these nature and geological heritage sites (Source: LancashireCountyCouncil)

6.4

Air Quality and Emissions Air Quality Indicators are drawn from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI). The Air Quality Indicators use measures of emissions of four main pollutants: benzene, nitrogen dioxide, sulphuric dioxide and particulates (PM10). Modelled estimates of annual mean concentrations for each of the pollutants in each LSOA were derived. These values were then compared with World Health Organisation/DEFRA guidelines or "standard values" for pollutants that represent "safe" concentrations to arrive at a quality score in which values greater than 1.0 are deemed to represent an unsafe concentration of the pollutant in question. Values of less than 1.0 indicate that the pollutant is below the objective set and thus "safe". The Combined Air Quality figure which represents the overall quality score or ratio for each LSOA is derived simply by the addition of the scores for each of the four pollutants. A higher value implies a poorer overall air quality though there is no stated value above which the Combined Air Quality Indicator

itself is said to indicate an unsafe concentration of pollutants.

6.5

6.6 According to the latest 2005 estimates, the average Lancashire LSOA has an air quality indicator of 1.01 whilst the highest recorded score in Lancashire (1.39) is significantly below the worst level recorded in the country. All Chorley wards recorded values of less than 1.0 for each of the four

24

individual pollutants indicating safe levels of pollutant concentrations. Figure 9 shows that the mainly urban wards of Clayton-le-Woods and Chorley town record the highest levels of pollutants and over average.

half of the Borough’s wards recorded pollutant concentrations over the Lancashire

1.40

1.20

1.00

0.80

0.60

0.40

0.20

0.00

Figure 9: Combined Air Quality Indicator Scores, 2005 (Source:Department of Communities andLocalGovernment:CombinedAirQualityIndicators)

6.7 Table 20 below shows carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the Borough compared with regional and national levels. The total amount of CO² emissions emitted per capita since 2005 has remained slightly below regional and national levels. This is mainly due to low per capita

emissions from industry and commerce, while per capita emissions from domestic use are consistent with regional and national figures. It is important to recognise that the presence of certain high-energy using industries like refineries, metals production, glass and other non- metallic mineral sectors, which are concentrated in a few areas, can have a very large local impact. Road transport emissions include freight and passenger transport, both private and for business purposes. The estimates of road transport CO2 are made on the basis of the distribution of traffic, therefore some of the emissions within an authority represent through traffic, or part of trips into or out of the area whether by residents or non-residents. In Chorley this is particularly significant as the authority is at the heart of the county's motorway network.

River Quality The quality of the Borough’s rivers has improved in recent years due to less industrial and sewage pollution, allowing fish populations to increase. In 2006 the general quality assessment of river chemistry found 98.5% of rivers in the Borough were in good or fair condition (table 21). The general quality assessment of river biology found 99.4% of rivers in the Borough were in good or fair condition (table22).

6.8

6.9 Chorley's two main rivers, the Yarrow and Douglas, are of good quality and support an abundance of wildlife including fish stocks. However, the river Chor is classed as poor because it is affected by polluted surface water run-off from the M61 motorway and storm sewage overflows which discharge into the river. The Environment Agency are working with the Highways Agency to remedy the polluted run-off issue and United Utilities are implementing their Asset Management Plan to upgrade/repair their sewage overflows to reduce the amount of sewage

25

Air

Qu

ality

Sco

re

Lancashire

which goes into the river. Pollution from farm activities has also affected some waterways in rural areas in recent years.

Table 20: Local & Regional Estimates of CO² Emissions, 2008

[1] Land use, land use change and forestry

Source: Emissions of Carbon Dioxide for Local Authority Areas, DEFRA

Table 21: Chorley River Chemical Quality Level, 2006

Source: Biology and Chemistry Data by Local Authority, Environment Agency

26

Year % Good % Fair % Poor % Bad

2002 35.1 63.2 1.5 0.3

2003 33.7 55.2 11.1 0

2004 32.1 61.3 6.6 0

2005 33.1 60.6 6.4 0

2006 33.1 65.4 1.5 0

Y

ear

Per

capita -

Industr

y a

nd C

om

merc

ial

Per

capita -

Dom

estic

Per

capita -

Road T

ransport

Per

capita –

LU

LU

CF

[1]

Per

capita -

Tota

l

Chorley

2005 1.9 2.5 3.9 0.1 8.4

2006 2.0 2.6 3.9 0.1 8.5

2007 1.9 2.5 3.7 0.1 8.2

2008 1.8 2.5 3.8 0.1 8.2

Lancashire Total

2005 4.0 2.5 2.5 0.2 9.2

2006 3.6 2.6 2.4 0.2 8.8

2007 3.4 2.5 2.4 0.2 8.5

2008 3.3 2.5 2.4 0.2 8.4

North West Total

2005 3.9 2.5 2.2 0.1 8.8

2006 3.9 2.5 2.2 0.1 8.6

2007 3.8 2.4 2.2 0.1 8.5

2008 3.7 2.4 2.1 0.1 8.3

National Total

2005 4.0 2.5 2.3 - 8.8

2006 4.0 2.5 2.2 - 8.7

2007 3.9 2.4 2.2 - 8.5

2008 3.7 2.4 2.1 - 8.2

Table 22: Chorley River Biological Quality Level, 2006

Source: Biology and Chemistry Data by Local Authority, Environment Agency

Land Contamination The Council holds information on contaminated land sites obtained from a variety of sources. The Council adopted a contaminated land strategy in 2001 to help properly deal with such sites. They are usually associated with past commercial uses, mainly but not only in urban areas.

6.10

6.11 A number of contaminated sites have been cleaned up in the Borough and returned to beneficial use, such as the former Royal Ordnance site, which is now being redeveloped as Buckshaw Village. (Source: Chorley Council)

Waste and Recycling The amount of household waste (including that recycled) produced in the Borough has remained fairly static in recent years. In 2008/9 41,372 tonnes of household waste was collected and either recycled, composted or landfilled (table 23). Over 96% of households now have access to kerbside recycling services covering glass, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and cans. The garden waste collection service is available to the 35,000 garden properties in the Borough. For the period 2008/9 just under 47% of household waste was recycled or composted. This figure should continue to rise as a result of service improvements and the introduction of food waste collections in 2011. (Source: Chorley Council)

6.12

6.13 In 2006 Chorley Borough Council was named as one of the best in the country at keeping its streets clean. The Council came sixth in the street-cleansing category of the national Public Service Excellence awards.

Table 23: Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting,

2007/08 and 2008/09

Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – Municipal Waste Statistics – Local Authority Data

Renewable Energy The renewable energy potential of the Borough is almost completely un-used at present with 4.3MW of energy generated and plans for a landfill gas facility at the Rigby Landfill site (3MW capacity) and wind turbines at Cliffs Farm (2.3MW capacity). Although the most obvious resource is wind energy, recent and likely technological advances may mean that many different forms of renewable energy are viable at both a domestic and at a larger scale. Lancashire targets are to increase capacity for renewable energy generation from 146.8MW (2008) to a 239MW capacity in 2010. (Source: SpatialPlanninginLancashire–AnnualMonitoringReport3 provided by Restats)

6.14

27

2007/08 2008/09

Chorley 47.2 46.9

LancashireCounty 41.2 43.2

NorthWest 33.4 36.6

England 34.5 37.6

Year % Good % Fair % Poor % Bad

2002 2 74.2 23.5 0.3

2003 11.3 86.4 2.3 0

2004 11.3 88.1 0.6 0

2005 9.5 89.9 0.6 0

2006 9.5 89.9 0.6 0

Flooding In general, the fluvial and tidal flood risk across Central Lancashire is low. There are significant areas in the west that are potentially at risk of flooding, which is due to the flat, wide floodplains. However, these areas are largely rural and the populations potentially at risk are therefore minimal. From Rivington the River Yarrow flows west towards the settlements of Chorley and Euxton, before its confluence with the River Lostock (downstream of Croston), and its subsequent confluence with the River Douglas. (Source: Central Lancashire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment,2007)

6.15

6.16 Flooding in Croston occurs when the Yarrow breaks out of its channel upstream of the village then flows towards the village centre where existing flood defence walls prevent the water returning to the river. The depth of flooding in nearby properties increases as the depth of water behind the walls increases. The River Lostock is tidal upstream as far as Littlewood Bridge to the north-east of Croston and the River Yarrow is tidal as far as Croston. Flood defences on the River Yarrow are being improved and may need further upgrading in the future if sea levels rise as a result of global warming. Other rivers in the Borough are prone to flooding during storm conditions but most problems in built up areas arise through poor surface drainage and inadequate sewer capacity rather than river flooding.

6.17 The Environment Agency has designated two areas as Flood Warning Areas. These relate to the area adjacent to the River Yarrow including Grape Lane in Croston and an area to the west of Croston village in the River Douglas catchment area. Within Flood Warning Areas the Environment Agency aim to warn residents in advance when flooding may be likely and to inform them of the potential severity of the flooding. Management Plan- Environment Agency)

(Source: River DouglasCatchment Flood

28

7. Health and Wellbeing

Health Care Provision Primary Health Services in Chorley are managed by Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust, which was formed in October 2006 following the merger of Preston Primary Care Trust, Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust and West Lancashire Primary Care Trust. Doctor’s surgeries are located in Chorley Town and all of the larger villages. Acute hospital services are provided by Chorley & South Ribble District General Hospital, which is incorporated with Royal Preston Hospital into the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.

7.1

Dental Care Dental practices can be found in Adlington, Chorley Town, Coppull, Clayton Brook, Eccleston, Euxton and Whittle-le-Woods. However, most of these practices are not accepting any new NHS patients for treatment. In autumn 2007 Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) invested an additional £1.3 million in NHS dentistry to help solve the issues around access resulting in the introduction of six whole time equivalent dentists to provide services covering the Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods, Leyland, Buckshaw Village and Preston areas. According to NHS dental statistics the provision of dentists in Chorley has increased during the last year from 55 to 57 dentists per 100,000 population and exceeds provision in the North West and England.

7.2

Table 24: Population per dentist, 2010

Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2009/10

Table 25: Dentists per 100,000 population, 2010

Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2009/10

Personal Carers The 2001 Census of Population indicated that there were 10,295 people providing unpaid care in the Borough. The majority of these people (71%) provided unpaid care for 1 – 19 hours a week, but 18% (1,989 people) were providing unpaid care for 50 or more hours a week, which compares with a figure of 20.48% for England and 21.07% for Lancashire. Of the people providing unpaid care, Chorley East ward had the greatest percentage of people caring for 50 or more hours a week (27%).

7.3

Life Expectancy Current estimates of life expectancy (table 26) for those born between 2006 and 2008 in the Borough are 77.2 years for males and 81.3 years for females. The male figure is below the England average, but considerably better than the regional average. Similarly, the female figure falls below the England average and exceeds the regional average. Since 2000-2002, life expectancy in Chorley has increased by 2% (1.6 years) for males and 2% (1.8 years) for females.

7.4

29

2007 2008 2009 2010

England 40 41 41 42

North West SHA 41 43 45 47

Central Lancashire PCT 47 49 55 57

2007 2008 2009 2010

England 2,518 2,455 2,411 2,355

North West SHA 2,415 2,317 2,205 2,134

Central Lancashire PCT 2,131 2,038 1,817 1,748

Table 26: Life expectancy at birth, Three-Year Rolling Averages

Source: Office for National Statistics: Life Expectancy at Birth

7.5 Figure10 below shows that life expectancy within the Borough varies greatly. The life expectancy of a child born in Clayton-le-Woods North is 7.2 years less that that of a child born in the Astley and Buckshaw ward. Life expectancy in Astley and Buckshaw ward is in the top 20% nationally

while Chorley East, Brindle and Hoghton, Coppull, Chorley South West and Clayton-le-Woods North are in the bottom 20%. There is some evidence of lower life expectancy in the more deprived wards, but some of the least deprived wards such as Brindle and Hoghton and Heath

Charnock and Rivington also have life expectancies below the Borough average.

84.0

82.0

80.0

78.0

76.0

74.0

72.0

70.0

Figure 10: Life Expectancy at Birth (years), 1999 to 2003 (Source: LifeExpectancyatBirthby Ward,ONS)

Birth, Deaths, Mortality Ratios and Fertility Rates Chorley and South Ribble District General Hospital has a midwife led maternity unit. If any complications arise, or are suspected, most local mothers give birth at the Royal Preston Hospital

7.6

30

Life e

xp

ecta

ncy a

t b

irth

(ye

ars

)

England North West Chorley

Males

2000-2002 76.00 74.6 75.6

2001-2003 76.23 74.8 76.3

2002-2004 76.53 75.1 76.1

2003-2005 76.90 75.4 76.3

2004-2006 77.32 75.8 76.7

2005-2007 77.65 76.0 77.4

2006-2008 77.93 76.3 77.2

Females

2000-2002 80.66 79.4 79.5

2001-2003 80.72 79.4 79.9

2002-2004 80.91 79.7 80.0

2003-2005 81.14 79.9 80.5

2004-2006 81.55 80.3 80.8

2005-2007 81.81 80.4 81.4

2006-2008 82.02 80.6 81.3

where specialist paediatric services are provided. The annual number of births in Chorley had been falling up until 2001 but there has been a gradual increase since then from 1,012 in 2001 to 1,239 in 2008. The number of deaths had fallen in recent years to a low of 900 in 2006. In 2008 1,049 deaths were recorded.

1,300

1,250

1,200

1,150

1,100

1,050

1,000

950

900

850

800

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Figure 11: Births and Deaths 2001 to 2008 – (Source:BirthsStatistics,ONS)

7.7 The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of live children that a group of women would bear if they experienced the age-specific fertility rates of the calendar year. The TFR in Chorley has been increasing since 2003 when a figure of 1.8 was reported. As shown in table 27 in 2008 the TRF was 2.05, an increase of 0.25 since 2003. This was above the Lancashire average of 1.99.

Table 27: Total Fertility Rate (TFR), 2003 to 2008

Source: LancashireProfile

7.8 Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs)4 compare the actual number of deaths in a particular area with the expected number of deaths based on mortality rates of a reference population (in this case, the United Kingdom). A SMR of 104.8 and 103.49 was recorded for 2006 and 2007 meaning that the number of deaths within the Borough accorded with the national figure when taking into account the age structure of the population. In 2008 the SMR had risen to 116.78 showing that deaths were in excess of what would normally be expected in the Borough and were above the Lancashire average of 109.31.

4 SMRs enable comparison of mortality information across a range of areas and make allowance for the differing age structures of the

population in different areas. If local mortality rates are high compared with the reference area, the number of deaths observed will be greater than the expected number and the index will be greater than 100.

31

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Chorley 1.8 2 1.9 2 2 2.05

Lancashire 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.99

NorthWest 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 2 2.01

EnglandandWales 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.97

Live Births Deaths

Table 28: Standardised Mortality Ratio, 2003 to 2008

Source: LancashireProfile

Teenage Pregnancy The teenage conception rate in Chorley has risen in recent years. For the period 2006 – 2008 the rate was 39.5 per 1000 women aged 15 – 17 years, which was below the regional and national rates. The national rate of teenage conception has continued to fall since the late 1990s. The Primary Care Trust is an active partner in the multi-agency Lancashire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership and is working to reduce this rate to meet national targets.

7.9

7.10 Lancashire Young People’s Service provides a range of personal, social and health education programmes which address the concerns of young people in the area of sex and relationships education. A sexual health clinic is provided with partners from the Primary Care Trust, called the Wise-up Clinic. Young people can learn about sex with the assistance of trained staff and can meet with a doctor for services relating to sex, sexual health and contraception.

Table 29: Teenage Pregnancy Rate, 2002/04 to 2006/08

Three-year rolling average (calendar years)

[1] 2006/08 results are provisional.

Source: DepartmentforEducation,Under-18conceptionstatistics

Mobility Problems The Chorley Housing Needs and Demand Study 2004 indicated that there are approximately 8,000 people within the Borough with mobility problems (about 8% of the total population). The vast majority of these people are elderly. It is estimated that in 2010 3,044 residents aged 65 or over will be unable to manage a mobility activity on their own. This will increase to 4,972 in 2025. (Source: DepartmentofHealth, ProjectingOldPeoplePopulationInformationSystem)

7.11

Learning Disabilities People with learning disabilities contribute to life in the Borough in many positive ways, such as through paid or supported employment, voluntary work placement schemes and through participation in local groups, societies, recreational and educational activities. MENCAP Chorley provides a record (South Lancashire Learning and Disabilities Database) of learning disability in South Lancashire. They provide help and support to those who require it. The Brothers of Charity Services are another organisation that provides support and opportunities to people with a learning disability in the Chorley area. In 2010 it was estimated that there were 1,601 people aged 18+ with learning disabilities in the borough, including 409 people with moderate/severe learning disabilities. (Source: Department of Health, Projecting Adult Needs and Service InformationSystem)

7.12

32

Conceptionrateofunder 18year oldsper 1,00015-17year olds

2002/04 2003/05 2004/06 2005/07 2006/08[1]

Chorley 36.1 38.6 42 41.1 39.5

Lancashire 41.7 41.3 41.4 41.5 42.1

NorthWest 45.2 45.7 45.5 46 45.7

England 42 41.6 41.2 41.2 40.9

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Chorley 126.16 124.72 118.41 104.8 103.49 116.78

Lancashire 123.62 117.75 115.79 109.67 109.39 109.31

NorthWest 128.19 121.9 119.04 114.61 113.86 112.75

EnglandandWales 116.07 109.66 107.29 102.9 101.12 100.35

Keeping Active According to the Chorley ActivePeopleSurvey2008/09 23.8% of adults complete 3 sessions of moderate intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes per week. This is an increase of over 2% compared to the previous survey in 2005/06 and exceeds Lancashire (20.7%) and national (21.45%) figures.

7.13

Overview Table 30 provides an overview of Chorley health statistics compared to regional and national averages and concludes that health of people in Chorley is varied. Some of the key finding are:

7.14

•

•

The estimated percentage of adults who smoke is similar to the average for England. Death rates from all causes and early deaths from heart disease and stroke death rate from cancer is below the England average.

Teenage pregnancy is similar to the England average. The percentage of children classified as obese is better than the England average. Tooth decay in children is worse than the England average.

•

• •

Health inequalities are being addressed through a new health action plan monitored by the Local Strategic Partnership. NHS Central Lancashire is working to enhance

reducing variance and improving quality of primary care services.

health equity through

33

Table 30: Summary of Chorley Health

1. % of year 1-13 pupils who spend at least 3 hours per week on high quality PE and school sport

2. % of mothers smoking in pregnancy where status is known

3. Rate per 100,000 population

4. % aged 16+ 2008/09

5. Directly age standardised rate per 100,000 population under 75, 2006-2008

6. Ratio of excess winter deaths (observed winter deaths minus expected deaths based on non-winter deaths) to average non-winter deaths

7. Directly age standardised rate per 100,000 population under 75, 2006-2008

8. Weighted mean number of teeth per 5 yr old child sampled that were actively decayed, missing or filled 2007/08

9. Rate per 1,000 live births 2006-2008

10. % adults, modelled estimate using Health Survey for England 2006-2008

11. % adults, modelled estimate using Health Survey for England 2007-2008

12. Per 100,000 population age 35+, directly age standardised rate 2006-2008

13. % adults, modelled estimate using Health Survey for England 2006-2008

14. % adults, modelled estimate using Health Survey for England 2006-2008

(Source: Chorley Health Profile 2009, Association of Public Health Observatories)

34

Chorley Lancashire England

1. Physically active children, 2008/09 50.15 50.87 49.62

2. Smoking in pregnancy, 2008/09 18.94 19.11 14.64

3. Road injuries and deaths, 2006-08 84.21 74.91 51.30

4. Physically active adults 2007-2009 11.97 11.83 11.25

5. Early deaths heart disease & stroke 2006-2008 77.26 80.90 74.80

6. Excess winter deaths 2006-2008 13.1720 14.3310 15.5970

7. Early deaths cancer 2006-2008 106.31 119.27 113.96

8. Tooth decay in children aged 5 years 2007/08 1.30 1.51 1.11

9. Infant deaths 2006-2008 5.20 5.31 4.84

10. Adults who smoke 2006-2008 21.83 22.35 22.18

11. Binge drinking adults 2007-2008 26.22 23.48 20.12

12. Deaths from smoking 2006-2008 223.87 229.61 206.81

13. Obese adults 2006-2008 24.19 23.29 24.16

14. Healthy eating adults 2006-2008 27.04 27.51 28.65

8. Education and Youth Development

Pre-School Nursery Education and Child Day Care There are two local education authority maintained nursery schools and five local education authority primary schools with a nursery class in the Borough, as well as a wide range of other child day care provision.

8.1

Primary Education (5-11year olds)

There are 49 primary schools in the Borough. The number of unfilled primary school places in Chorley in 2010 was 1,101, which was 12% of the total capacity of 9,160. The figure of 8,059 pupils on primary school rolls in 2010 is estimated to begin to rise gradually to around 9,734 by 2014/15, taking into account the effects of planned new housing developments and net migration trends. The major scheme in this area remains as the new primary school on the Buckshaw Village site. Whilst the school in legal terms came into effect from 1 September this year, there have been delays and the building is still under construction. The school will mainly serve the Buckshaw Village community and should cater for pupils between the ages of 5 and 11 and provide places for 210 boys and girls. (School Census 2010, Lancashire County Council)

8.2

Secondary Education (11-16 year olds) There are six high schools in the Borough and they all now have specialist status. They are: 8.3

• Albany Science College, Chorley (42% of pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSEs including

English and Maths)

Bishop Rawstorne C of E Language College, Croston (80% of pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths)

Holy Cross Catholic High School, Chorley – A Science and Sports College (57% of pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths)

Parklands High School, Chorley – A Language College (54% of pupils achieve 5+ A*- C GCSEs including English and Maths)

Southlands High School, Chorley – A Technology College and Leading Edge School (48% of pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths)

St Michael’s Church of England High School, Chorley – A Performing Arts College (75% of pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths)

•

•

•

•

•

8.4 The total number of secondary pupils on roll in 2010 at these schools was 5,393. The number of unfilled secondary school places in 2010 was 418, which was 7.2% of the total capacity of 5,811. It is estimated that pupil numbers will rise to 5,846 secondary pupils for 2016/17. (School Census 2010, Lancashire County Council)

Table 31: GCSE and equivalent results, percentage of pupils gaining - achieving 5+ A*-C

Source: Department for Education, Achievement and Attainment Table 2009

8.5 Table 31 shows that the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-C grades has increased by 12.5% since 2005. Over 75% of pupils achieve 5 or more GCSE A*-C grades in Chorley compare to 70% nationally. Borough secondary schools achieve high levels of GCSE

success. Of the six secondary schools, four have a higher percentage of pupils attaining 5+ A*-C GCSEs including english and maths than the national average, with the best performing school in

35

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Chorley 62.8 64.6 68.9 70.1 75.3

Lancashire 56.4 58.3 61.6 65.3 71.3

North West 53.9 56.6 60.3 65.4 71

England 56.3 59.2 62 65.3 70

the Borough at a level of 80% in 2009 (Source: Department for Education, Achievement and Attainment Table2009).

Special Needs In 2009 3.1% of the school population in Chorley had statemented special needs. A statement is a legal document in which parents, the school and the Local Education Authority agree both the needs of, and also provision to be made for, a child with special educational needs. (Profile of ChildrenwithSpecialEducationalNeeds2008/9,LancashireCountyCouncil)

8.6

8.7 Most pupils with special educational needs attend mainstream and special schools in the Borough, but some attend special provision elsewhere in Lancashire or outside the county. There are two special schools in the Borough. Astley Park School caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and had 114 special needs pupils on roll in 2009. Mayfield School caters for a wide range of pupils with severe learning difficulties and had 61 special needs pupils on roll in 2009. (SchoolCensus2010, LancashireCountyCouncil)

Adult/Higher Education There are no sixth form colleges in the Borough, so most Chorley A-level students study elsewhere. Many go to Runshaw College’s sixth form centre in Leyland, which had an A-level pass rate of almost 100% in 2009. Lancashire Young People’s Service in Chorley provides a range of programmes aimed at young people in this transitional phase of life. Connexions are another service in place for young people in Chorley, which offers a variety of careers advice.

8.8

8.9 Runshaw College and the Lancashire College at the Chorley Woodlands Campus provide adult education in the Borough. Runshaw College now concentrates on Higher Education and qualification based courses, while Lancashire College offers an extended range of community-

based, non-qualification courses. The Woodlands Campus also provides an annex for Edge Hill University College.

Table 32: Proportion of Population Aged 16-64 Qualified to Educational Levels 2, 3, 4

People are counted as qualified to level 2 or above if they have achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent

People are counted as qualified to level 3 or above if they have achieved either at least 2 A-levels at grades A-E, 4 A/S levels at grades A-E, or any equivalent or higher qualification in the Qualifications and Credit Framework.

People are counted as qualified to level 4 or above if they hold qualifications equivalent to NQF levels 4-8. Level 4-6 qualifications include foundation or first degrees, recognised degree-level professional qualifications, teaching or nursing qualifications, diplomas in higher education, HNC/HND or equivalent vocational qualifications. Level 7-8 qualifications include higher degrees and postgraduate level professional qualifications.

Source ONS: Annual Population Survey; Department for Communities and Local Government

8.10 Lancashire Young People’s Service in Chorley, in partnership with other organisations, supports the development of community groups in the Borough. Targeted community development work in Chorley East and South West wards enables services to be developed in line with the needs and

aspirations of the community. The Service takes a lead in the development of E-learning with

36

2004 2009

%ofpopulationaged16-64qualifiedtoatleastlevel:

2 3 4 2 3 4

Chorley 67.4 51.1 25.8

64.2 48.2 24.9

61.5 45.2 23.2

61.7 46.3 25.8

74.5 52.9 28.8

49 27.7

46.9 27

48.9 29.6

Lancashire 66.8

NorthWest 64.5

England 65

adults in the East ward through the provision of the UK online Centre at Chorley Youth and Community Centre. Close working with Runshaw College and Lancashire College enables community learning needs to be identified and met at a local level.

Business and Community Involvement More and more local businesses are becoming involved in local schools by supporting specialist college bids, achievement awards, computer equipment etc. Community use is also occurring, mainly in some secondary schools, for adult education and sports purposes.

8.11

Youth Services Lancashire Young People’s Service leads on the development of positive approaches to youth issues. The District Young People’s Service and Connexions Service Advisory Committee provide a forum for the discussion of developments relating to Connexions Services and Young People’s Services locally. The service regularly reviews the provision made based on proposed housing developments, community profile information and national developments in youth service and community provision. In total 4 youth centres are located within the Borough. These are Chorley Youth and Community Centre, Clayton Youth and Community Centre, Coppull Youth and Community Centre and Eccleston Youth and Community Centre.

8.12

8.13 Lancashire Young People's Service works in partnership with communities and other organisations to deliver a Youth Offer for young people aged 11-25, which provides safe places to go, qualified people to talk to and positive things to do. The Service leads and develops programmes which focus on participation, inclusion & engagement, specialist careers guidance and targeted support for vulnerable young people.

37

9. Crime and Disorder

9.1 Chorley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership completed a number of key projects such as Week of Action, automatic number plate recognition, MATAC and targeted media marketing that have seen large reductions in crime and disorder within the key wards across the Borough. The

Chorley Partnership has merged with South Ribble to produce the Safer Chorley and South

Ribble Partnership.

Crime Summary Rates of crime in Chorley are below the regional and national averages with the rate of many types of crime falling within the year. Table33 shows that:

9.2

• Incidents of violence against a person have reduced dramatically since 2004/05 and are now substantially below regional and national rates.

Rates of wounding have reduced by 36% since 2003/04 and is below regional and national averages.

Incidents of common assault have increased by 19% since 2007/08, yet is below regional and national rates.

Incidents of robbery have remained consistently low since 2004/05. Chorley and

Lancashire rates have remained substantially lower that the regional and national figures. Rates of burglary, theft from a person, and theft of a motor vehicle have remained

consistently below regional and national rates and continue to fall year on year.

•

•

•

•

9.3 A major cause for concern is the crime strand of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). This measures the rate of recorded crime for four major crime types, representing the risk of personal and material victimisation at a small area level. This includes:

• Burglary (4 recorded crime offence types, Police Force data for April 2004-March 2005, constrained to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) level)

Theft (5 recorded crime offence types, Police Force data for April 2004-March 2005, constrained to CDRP level)

Criminal damage (10 recorded crime offence types, Police Force data for April 2004- March 2005, constrained to CDRP level)

Violence (14 recorded crime offence types including Robbery, Police Force data for April 2004-March 2005, constrained to CDRP level).

•

•

•

9.4 In the IMD 2004 only one area fell within in the bottom 20% nationally for crime. This has now risen to 5 areas, three of which fall in the bottom 10% nationally. This places these areas on a par with areas in Liverpool, Lewisham, Knowsley, Birmingham, Leeds, and South Tyneside. Other Lancashire areas such as South Ribble have experienced similar results with areas witnessing dramatic worsening in their national crime ranking.

38

Table 33: Notifiable Offences Recorded by the Police, 2003/2004 to 2009/2010

39

2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010

rate[1] rate[1] rate[1] rate[1] rate[1] rate[1] rate[1]

Violenceagainsttheperson

Chorley 15.2 18.5 14.4 14.1 12.6 12.4 11.7

Lancashire 16.7 19.1 17.3 16 14.9 13.8 13.3

NorthWest 18.8 21.1 21.1 19.7 17.4 15.9 14.8

England 18.1 19.6 19.7 19.2 17.5 16.3 15.7

Woundingor otheractendangeringlife

Chorley 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3

Lancashire 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4

NorthWest 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5

England 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4

Otherwounding

Chorley 8.7 7.7 7.1 7.4 6.7 6.2 5.6

Lancashire 8.8 9 8.6 8.2 7.6 6.7 6.1

NorthWest 9.9 10.1 10.4 9.3 8 7.1 6.4

England 8.2 9.2 9.7 9.1 8 7.2 6.8

Harassmentincludingpenaltynoticesfor disorder

Chorley 1.4 5.2 3.6 2.9 2.2 1.9 1.9

Lancashire 2.6 4.2 3.8 3.2 2.7 2.2 2.2

NorthWest 2.8 4.6 5.4 5.1 4.2 3.7 3.4

England 3.2 4.1 4.5 4.6 4.2 3.8 3.6

Commonassault

Chorley 3.8 3.9 2.7 2.9 2.6 3.1 3.1

Lancashire 3.5 4.1 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.8

NorthWest 3.6 3.9 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3

England 4.7 4.2 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.8

Robbery

Chorley 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2

Lancashire 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.4

NorthWest 2 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.3

England 2 1.7 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.4

Theft fromtheperson

Chorley 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6

Lancashire 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.6

NorthWest 2.1 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.2

England 2.4 2.2 2.2 2 1.7 1.5 1.6

Criminaldamageincludingarson

Chorley 18.1 20.7 18.8 16.9 14.2 13.8 12.8

Lancashire 25.3 26.1 25.9 24.1 20.4 18.8 15.9

NorthWest 28.6 28.4 28.8 27.9 23.1 20.6 17.2

England 22.8 22.4 21.9 21.8 18.9 16.9 14.5

Burglaryinadwelling

[1] Rates are number of offences per 1,000 population, based on the mid-year population estimates for the beginning of the reference period. For instance, the 2009/2010 rates use the mid-2009 population estimates, the 2008/2009 rates use the mid-2008 population estimates and so on. Note that we previously used a different method, in which rates were calculated by using population estimates for the year before the start of the reference period. Note also we now use the revised mid-year population estimates released by the Office for National Statistics in August 2010.

Source: HomeOfficereportCrimeinEnglandandWales at LancashireProfile

Ward Level Crime Summary Table 34 shows crime rates in each of the Borough’s 20 wards. Figures are highlighted in red where crime rates exceed the Lancashire average. Chorley North West and Chorley South East wards perform particularly poorly when compared to the Lancashire average and other wards in Chorley Borough. In fact, all wards with areas of high deprivation (see Table 19), as identified in the IMD 2007, have high levels of particular crimes.

9.5

9.6 In more affluent wards certain crimes tend to occur more regularly. For example, high levels of burglary are experienced in the wards of Brindle and Hoghton and Heath Charnock and Rivington. Numbers killed or serious injured on the roads tends to be higher in the rural wards of

the borough where traffic calming measures and pedestrian safety measures are less stringent.

40

Chorley 4.7 3.3 2.9 3.1 2.4 1.7 2

Lancashire 5.8 4.3 3.9 3.6 3.2 3.2 2.8

NorthWest 9.8 7.4 6.9 6.6 5.8 6 5.4

England 7.8 6.2 5.8 5.5 5.3 5.3 5

Burglaryother thaninadwelling

Chorley 5 5 4.5 4.6 3.6 4.1 3.6

Lancashire 7.2 6.1 5.3 5.7 5.3 5.6 4.9

NorthWest 9.1 7.6 7.2 6.9 6.1 5.9 5.2

England 7.9 6.8 6.5 6.2 5.6 5.5 4.9

Theft ofamotorvehicle

Chorley 2.6 2.6 2.1 1.6 1.7 1.4 1.4

Lancashire 3.3 2.9 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.6

NorthWest 6.4 5.5 4.8 4.2 3.4 3 2.3

England 5.5 4.6 4 3.6 3.1 2.7 2.1

Theft from amotorvehicle

Chorley 5.9 6.9 5.9 5 3.9 3.5 3.2

Lancashire 7.5 7 6.9 6.8 5.7 5.2 4.2

NorthWest 11.1 9.8 10.5 10.5 8.4 7.5 6.3

England 11.4 9.4 9.4 9.3 8 7.2 6.2

Table 34: Summary of Chorley Crime by Ward, rate per thousand population (except for Domestic Burglary which is rate per thousand households), 2009/10

Source: Lancashire MADE Public, Lancashire Constabulary

41

Tota

l R

ecord

ed C

rim

e

Vio

lence

Ag

ain

st

The

Pers

on

All

Dru

g O

ffences

Num

bers

Kill

ed o

r

Serious I

nju

red o

n the

Roads

Robbery

All

Ve

hic

le C

rim

e

All

Crim

inal D

am

age

(inclu

din

g A

rson)

Calls

to t

he P

olic

e a

bo

ut

Anti-S

ocia

l B

eh

avio

ur

Adlington And Anderton

32.4

6.8

1.7

0.3

0.3

1.4

6.8

47.1

AstleyAndBuckshaw 57 14.5 1.7 n/a n/a 1.7 21 92.2

BrindleAndHoghton 37.2 8.7 2.3 1.4 n/a 2.3 6.4 32.1

Chisnall 38.6 4.8 2.7 1.4 n/a 6 6 44.2

ChorleyEast 82.5 20.3 6.7 0.2 0.2 6.4 23 136.3

ChorleyNorthEast 72.8 13.9 3.8 1.1 0.2 6.9 16.1 82.4

ChorleyNorthWest 102.8 26.6 8.4 0.7 0.2 4.4 16.5 112.2

ChorleySouthEast 140.3 29.2 5.5 0.3 0.5 9 21.5 172.1

ChorleySouthWest 75 16.3 5.1 n/a n/a 9.2 17.6 104.4

Clayton-Le-Woods And

Whittle-Le-Woods

28.6

4.7

1.1

n/a

0.1

4.3

7.4

38.9

Clayton-Le-Woods North

74

17.6

3.2

n/a

0.1

5.1

18.1

82.2

Clayton-Le-Woods

West And Cuerden

24.1

6.3

0.7

0.4

n/a

2.7

8.3

36.9

Coppull 51.3 11.7 1.1 0.5 0.3 3.8 16.7 99.8

Eccleston And

Mawdesley

24.4

3.2

0.7

n/a

n/a

2.2

6.6

34.5

EuxtonNorth 19.6 3.7 0.7 n/a 0.2 2 5.1 39.1

EuxtonSouth 24.2 5.4 1.7 0.2 n/a 3.5 7.2 37.3

Heath Charnock And

Rivington

44.1

3.6

3.1

0.9

0.4

5.3

10.2

41

Lostock 31.9 5.9 2 0.2 0.2 1.9 6.6 27.8

Pennine 31.8 3.5 2.2 n/a n/a 6.1 6.1 27.4

Wheelton AndWithnell 38.8 7.8 n/a 0.2 n/a 4.6 9 41.5

Chorley District Average

55.4

11.8

2.9

0.3

0.1

4.6

12.6

72.9

Lancashire County Average

73.8

15.6

3.5

0.3

0.5

6.1

17.1

97.1

10. Housing

Households The average household size in 2001 in Chorley Borough was 2.39 persons, which was slightly higher than the average for Lancashire (2.36) and England (2.35). Average household sizes are likely to continue to fall, due to an increase in single person households. The predicted average household size for the Borough in 2016 is 2.24 (Lancashire 2.19). In 2001, 5.7% of all households in Chorley were lone parent households, and 25.6% were one-person households. Both of these figures were lower than the levels for Lancashire and England. (Source: Census 2001,Officeof NationalStatistics)

10.1

10.2 Household projections (table 35) show that the number of households in the Borough is expected to increase by 27.3% from 2006 to 2031. This is similar to the increase projected for Lancashire (27.4%) and above the increase projected for the North West (23.4%).

Table 35: Household Projections, 2006-2031 (thousands)

All projections are an indication of the likely increase in households given the continuation of recent demographic trends.

Source: Household Projections to 2031, Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing Needs

The Central Lancashire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) in 2009 estimated that Chorley has an annual shortfall of 723 affordable homes (which in itself is far in excess of the total Regional Spatial Strategy target at the time of 417 net new homes in total), with the shortfall in the whole of Central Lancashire being 1,779 (397 in South Ribble and 660 in Preston). The need for affordable housing can not realistically bet met in the short to medium term, and in the mean time there has been more pragmatic former LAA target (up to 2010) for Chorley of 50 properties per annum. In 2009/10 Chorley provided 107 new affordable homes compared to 35 and 26 in South Ribble and Preston respectively, however in this year Chorley experienced exceptional performance.

10.3

10.4 Table 36 shows that Chorley has a small proportion of dwelling stock in tax band A (31%), the lowest value housing stock, compared to the Lancashire and North West average. The Borough has a slightly higher proportion of stock in tax bands B, C, D, and F and a considerably higher

proportion of properties in tax band E (9%).

Table 36: Dwelling Stock by Council Tax Band, 2008

42

Local authority council tax band[1]

BandA BandB BandC BandD BandE BandF BandG BandH

Percentageoftaxedproperties

Chorley 31.38 22.3 18.83 12.65 9.36 3.72 1.63 0.14

Lancashire 37.74 19.2 18.51 11.98 7.11 3.37 2.09 0.16

NorthWest 42.3 19.43 17.43 10.05 5.83 2.84 1.91 0.2

England and

Wales

24.47

19.56

21.7

15.3

9.67

5.17

3.55

0.58

2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031

Chorley 44 46 49 52 54 56

Lancashire 614 648 684 720 753 782

North West 2,931 3,067 3,221 3,367 3,497 3,617

England 21,515 22,748 24,107 25,439 26,674 27,818

[1] Council tax valuations are based on the price a property, as it existed on 1 April 1993, would have fetched if it had been sold on the open market on 1 April 1991. Each dwelling in England is assigned to one of eight bands as follows:

Band A: up to £40,000, Band B: £40,001 to £52,000, Band C: £52,001 to £68,000, Band D: £68,001 to £88,000, Band E: £88,001 to £120,000, Band F: £120,001 to £160,000, Band G: £160,001 to £320,000, Band H: £320,001 and above

Source Valuation Office Agency: Dwelling Stock by Council Tax Band

House Prices and Affordability Average house prices in the Borough have been consistently above the Lancashire and North West average. House prices have risen considerably since 2002 in line with price increases nationally although rate of increase has slowed in the past 3 years.

10.5

10.6 Table 38 shows the ratio of median house price to median individual earnings. The indicates that houses in the Borough are less affordable compared to the Lancashire and North West average, with house prices being 5.83 times the median annual individual earnings. The affordability of houses in the Borough decreased quickly from 2001 to 2004 as house prices increased. Yet, 2009 has seen an increase in the affordability of houses in the borough, in terms of the ratio between earnings and house prices, however the prices have been affected by the ability to obtain mortgages decreasing so many home buyers have not seen the benefit. Chorley house prices still remain in excess of Lancashire and the North West.

Table 37: Mean house prices based on Land Registry data, from 2002

Source Department for Communities and Local Government: Housing Statistics

Table 38: Ratio of Median House Price to Median Individual Earnings, from 2002

These statistics are based on house price data from the Land Registry and earnings data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

Source Department for Communities and Local Government: Housing Statistics

Empty Homes According to the Empty Homes Agency 3.3% of the housing stock in the Borough was empty in 2009. This compared favourably to the Lancashire and North West figures but was below the national average.

10.7

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Chorley 4.19 4.97 6.2 6.8 6.31 6.21 6.43 5.83

Lancashire 3.22 3.79 4.72 5.07 5.62 5.68 5.48 5.26

NorthWest 3.43 3.94 4.84 5.38 5.68 5.81 5.54 5.17

England 5.07 5.83 6.58 6.81 6.97 7.23 6.93 6.27

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Chorley 97,133 115,065 139,582 151,990 159,510 165,297 168,664 171,577

Lancashire 80,806 98,426 117,766 126,954 140,587 152,469 153,069 150,312

NorthWest 88,382 104,450 126,424 137,804 150,046 159,892 156,811 154,436

England 141,108 159,357 181,330 192,247 206,715 222,619 220,310 216,493

Table 39: Empty Housing Stock, 2006 to 2009

Source The Empty Homes Agency

Housing Tenure A greater proportion of the housing stock in the Borough is owner occupied and privately rented than both the North West or nationally. Over 87% of housing stock in the Borough is owner occupied and privately rented, whilst the North West and national figure is just over 81%. It is estimated that 60% of private housing stock in the Borough dates from 1964 or later, whilst 14% of dwellings were built pre-1919. The most numerous private sector dwelling type in the Borough are post-1980 detached houses/bungalows 33.8%, followed very closely by semi-detached houses and bungalows with 33.6% (Chorley Private Sector Stock Condition Survey 2010) (Source: DwellingStockbyTenureandCondition,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

10.8

10.9 Approximately 13.2% of households in the Borough were within the social rented sector in 2010 (Registered Social Landlords including former council stock transferred to Chorley Community Housing in April 2007). The proportion of social rented stock remains significantly lower than the

averages for England and the North West which were 17.7% and 18.8% respectively in 2008 (SourceDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment:HousingStatistics).

Condition of Housing: Private Sector Housing The Decent Homes Standard is nationally set. Decent homes are those that fulfil the current minimum standard for housing (which means free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, replacing the previous fitness standard in 2006), are in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and services and they should provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort. The Borough private sector stock condition survey 2010 indicated that 24.4% of private sector dwellings failed the standard under one or more of these headings, which compares favourably to 35.8% of all dwellings in England failing to meet the standard. Pre-1919 dwellings had the highest levels of non-decency with an estimated 47% non-compliant with the decent homes standard (Source: Chorley Private Sector Stock Condition Survey 2010).

10.10

10.11 In 2010 there were an estimated 3,263 private sector households with category 1 hazards present in the Borough, which accounted for 8.5% of the private sector stock, which is well below the national average of 23.5% (English House Condition Survey 2007). The two main causes of category one hazards in Chorley are the risk of falling on steps and stars, and excessive cold. Chorley Council’s Home Improvement Agency is currently providing no-cost and subsidised insulation measures which will help to reduce the number of households susceptible to excessive cold. During 2010-11 the Council is also operating a Minor Repairs Assistance Grant which provides targeted repairs assistance to vulnerable owner-occupiers and private tenants.

Condition of Housing: Social Housing Registered Social Landlords in the borough inform us that they are on target to meet the statutory Decent Homes Standard by the end of 2010 in the vast majority of cases.

10.12

Supporting People & Grants Chorley Council joint commissions ‘Housing Related Support’ services with Lancashire County Council’s Supporting People team. The Supporting People initiative helps a variety of 'Clients Groups' including people with learning or physical disabilities, people with mental health

10.13

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Percentageofhousingstockthatisempty

2006 2007 2008 2009

Chorley 3.3 1 3.1 3.3

Lancashire — 4.1 3.9 4.1

NorthWest 4.1 4.2 4.2 3.9

England 3.1 3 3.1 2.9

problems, the homeless, vulnerable young people, older people that need support, people with drug or alcohol problems, people escaping domestic violence, and people at risk of offending. The main aim is to allow service users to maintain their tenancy and keep them living independently. Supporting People funds Cotswold Supported Housing which returned to Strategic Housing in June 2009, which provides accommodation based housing related support to homeless families and single people.

10.14 The Chorley Home Improvement Agency (HIA) is also part funded by Supporting People and has been part of Strategic Housing since April 2010. The HIA facilitates mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants which make adaptations necessary for people with disabilities to remain in their own home, as well as a Minor Repairs Assistance grant, and loft and wall insulation at no cost to those most in need and subsidised for the able to pay. The HIA offers a holistic case work approach, including referring older and disabled people to other agencies for services to ensure all their needs are met wherever possible.

Homelessness Since 2004/5 there has been a decrease in the number of households accepted by the Council as homeless. The Borough Council has worked in partnership to develop additional services for homeless households. This has resulted in the development of supported housing for lone teenage parents and for young people at risk, and improvement to support for families and single people. The Housing Options team within Chorley council has increased its service with a rental bond scheme, court desk advice regarding repossessions and the facilitation of mortgage rescue.

10.15

Along with existing advice services, the new measures have helped to prevent homelessness, thus decreasing demand for temporary accommodation (table40).

incidents of

Table 40: Numbers Accepted as being homeless and in priority need

Source:DepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment:HousingStatistics

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Year 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10

Total 235 190 .. 173 80 34

No. per 1,000 h/holds 5.6 4.5 .. 4 1.8 0.8

11. Transport

Road Connections The M6, M61 and M65 motorways all pass through the Borough giving it excellent road links. Although Chorley town is not directly served by a junction on the M6, access is available at Junction 28 to the north of the Borough near Leyland and at Junction 27 to the south of the Borough near Standish, allowing convenient access to the Midlands, the South, Northern England and Scotland. The M61 provides good links from the Borough to Manchester to the south and Preston to the north, whilst the M65 provides access to East Lancashire and beyond to Yorkshire and the North East.

11.1

11.2 A network of A and B roads provide local connections for the Borough’s towns and villages to destinations such as Blackburn, Bolton, Leyland, Preston, Southport and Wigan. Peak time congestion is a problem on some routes, such as the A6 Preston Road north of Euxton Lane in

Chorley. The Gillibrand Link Road and Eaves Green Link Road have been completed and will provide an orbital route from the A6 south of Chorley town to the A581 to the west of the town, bypassing the town centre. These roads will also provide access to new development to the west

of the town.

Road Safety/Traffic Calming The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is a multi-agency partnership, which is committed to improving safety on roads in Chorley and Lancashire as a whole. Their figures suggest that each year in Lancashire 9,000 people are injured on the roads (of which 1,000 are seriously injured and 70 killed). The Partnership focuses attention on the three primary causes of casualties, which are speeding, drink driving and the non-wearing of seatbelts. As well as safety cameras, physical traffic calming measures such as road humps, chicanes and road narrowing are used in various parts of the Borough to help keep vehicle speeds down and improve driver behaviour. These measures are increasingly linked to the use of 20mph zones in residential areas and there are plans to further extend the use of these.

11.3

Table 41: Road Casualties: All People Injured, 2001 to 2008

[1] All people of all ages suffering an injury of any severity in a road traffic accident per 1,000 population of all ages. The appropriate mid-year population estimates are used to calculate the rates. For 2001 to 2003, rates are available to only one decimal place. For subsequent years, rates are given to two decimal places.

Source: Department for Transport: Accidents and Casualties

11.4 Table 41 shows that the rate of road traffic accidents in the Borough resulting in injuries of all severities is above the regional and national figures. This may be partly due to the rural nature of the borough.

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Rate[1]

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Chorley 5 5.7 5 5.46 6.45 5.68 5.1 5.29

Lancashire 6 5.8 5.3 5.61 5.8 5.65 5.48 5.08

NorthWest — — — 5.49 5.34 4.98 4.62 4.32

England 5.7 5.4 5.2 4.96 4.8 4.56 4.38 4.07

Table 42: Road Casualties: All People Killed or Seriously Injured, 2001 to 2008

[1] All people of all ages killed or seriously injured in a road traffic accident per 1,000 population of all ages. The appropriate mid-year population estimates are used to calculate the rates. Rates are given to two decimal places.

Source Department for Transport: Accidents and Casualties

Rail Travel: Stations

There are four railway stations in the Borough. They are located at Adlington and Chorley on the Blackpool-Preston-Manchester line, at Croston on the Preston-Ormskirk-Liverpool line and at Euxton Balshaw Lane, which is on the West Coast Main Line. The Preston-Blackburn line also passes through the north of the Borough, although there are no stations in Chorley Borough. Network Rail has confirmed that they will provide a new station with a park and ride facility at Buckshaw Village. The station will be located on the southern boundary of the site adjacent to the southern commercial area and will include a park-and-ride facility. The scheme consists of a module station building, two platforms, pedestrian access bridge over the railway line, parking facilities on either side of the railway lines and an access road attached to the southern commercial loop road. The new station building will be capable of accommodating 450,000 passengers per year - or around 1,400 a day. Land that would be suitable for a new station has also been identified in Coppull. Chorley Station is located opposite the Chorley Interchange and has recently been renovated. These improvements and features such as electronic bus and rail information boards enable better inter-modal connectivity between buses and trains.

11.5

11.6 Adlington and Chorley stations provide direct rail services to destinations including Blackpool, Bolton, Manchester, Manchester Airport and Preston. There are at least three trains per hour during the day on weekdays to Preston and Manchester from Chorley. However, train capacity at

peak times is an issue on these routes and rolling stock is of variable quality. Croston station provides direct but infrequent services to Preston and Ormskirk, with connections to Liverpool. Euxton Balshaw Lane station provides direct links to Liverpool, Wigan and Preston. However, for

destinations outside the North West, including London, passengers must change trains outside of the Borough. A variety of ticketing options are available, such as day returns, 7-day season and monthly season tickets. However, these tickets are often expensive in comparison to similar tickets serving stations that are within the Greater Manchester and Merseyside boundaries. Rail freight within the Borough is hindered by a lack of capacity on key routes.

Table 43: Railway Station Usage, 2007/2008 to 2008/2009

2008/2009

Source Office of Rail Regulation

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Area or station

Number of stations or station facility owner

Entriesandexits Yearlychange

2007/2008

2008/2009 2007/2008 to

Adlington Northern Rail 94,043 91,414 -2.9

Chorley Northern Rail 730,069 688,764 -6

Croston Northern Rail 41,975 44,512 5.7

Euxton Northern Rail 43,887 53,152 17.4

Chorley 4 stations 909,974 877,842 -3.5

Lancashire 61 stations 14,122,014 15,181,680 7.5

Rate[1]

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Chorley 0.92 0.91 0.96 0.86 1.03 0.92 0.9 0.71

Lancashire 0.84 0.78 0.77 0.77 0.78 0.82 0.74 0.69

NorthWest 0.62 0.62 0.61 0.58 0.59 0.55 0.49 0.48

England 0.71 0.69 0.65 0.59 0.55 0.54 0.52 0.47

Table 43 shows that since 2007/08 total railway station visitor numbers at all stations across the Borough have fallen by 3.5%. This is despite an increase in visitor numbers at Euxton and Croston railway stations.

Bus Routes and Opportunities A network of bus services operate in the Borough, run by Arriva, J. Fishwick and Sons and Stagecoach along with a number of smaller companies who operate services on behalf of Lancashire County Council. The overall bus fleet is of variable quality with some ageing vehicles, but new low floor models are being introduced on some routes and experience from elsewhere shows these increase ridership levels. There are bus connections from Chorley Interchange to major destinations such as Preston, Leyland, Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan. Services also link the smaller settlements in the Borough with Chorley and other major towns. However, some rural locations are infrequently served by buses, and a lack of passengers in some areas has led to reductions in service frequency and service cuts. A variety of ticketing options are available on buses, depending on time of travel, travel zones etc. including weekly and monthly tickets, but fare levels and timetabling can be confusing for new bus travellers.

11.7

11.8 The Chorley Connect Kickstart bus network will increase accessibility to employment, healthcare and essential services in Chorley. It will provide better links to disadvantaged areas of Chorley, joining them to Chorley Interchange and the town centre, the Regional Investment Site at

Buckshaw and Chorley Hospital.

11.9 Over 60s and those with certain disabilities are eligible for a card which entitles you to travel anywhere in Chorley for free at off-peak times and anywhere in Lancashire for 50p. Provision of the NoWcard is a partnership between Chorley Borough Council, the County Councils of

Cumbria and Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool Borough Councils and the 18 district councils of Lancashire and Cumbria. At June 2008 15,412 elderly & disabled NoWcards had been issued. (Source: NoWcard, LancashireCountyCouncil)

11.10 The Chorley Interchange provides improved customer facilities, including a fully enclosed passenger waiting area and electronic bus and rail departure information boards. The Interchange provides a more user-friendly bus service for Chorley bus users. Quality Bus Routes

are also proposed to link Chorley with destinations such as Preston. Improvements have been made to ‘Chorley town’ services – known as Network Chorley. Modern midi-buses link the town centre with routes that take in places such as Adlington, Coppull and Euxton.

Car Parking The Lancashire Parking Audit that took place in 2001 showed Chorley Town Centre as having the highest ratio of parking compared to retail and office floorspace of any of the 20 centres studied. Pay and display car parks in Chorley Town centre have over 1,300 spaces and most have received Secured Car Park awards, which means that they meet nationally approved car park security standards. Chorley Borough Council has installed intelligent messaging displays on the approaches to the town centre, which inform drivers of the number of spaces available in town centre car parks.

11.11

Cycling There is considerable potential for cycling in the Borough and the National Cycle Network is under development. Two excellent stretches of cycle way already pass through the scenic Cuerden Valley Park and Astley Park and continues into Preston. In summer 2010 a new cycle path is due to be opened linking the park with Buckshaw village, completing National Cycle Route 55 from Chorley to Preston. Buckshaw village won a national award for its cycle facilities. The village has an extensive network of cycle paths. Cycle lanes have also been created in a number of locations, such as along the A6 at Whittle-le-Woods and Bolton Road, Chorley. A new cycle route has been signed around Chorley using the canal towpath, off-road cycle paths and a small section on-road. Linking many of the secondary schools and employment areas it will appeal to

11.12

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those cycling to schools or to work as well as leisure riders looking for traffic-free routes around Chorley. In addition to new routes it is also proposed to increase the amount of other cycling facilities in the Borough, such as cycle parking. The 2001 Census of Population revealed that 1.8% of employees travelled to work by bicycle in the Borough. This proportion is below the Lancashire figure of 2.4% and the England figure of 2.8%. Cycling Lancashire aims to get more people cycling in Lancashire.

Horse Riding Horse riding is increasingly popular in the Borough leading to many proposals for stables and associated facilities. There are approximately 37km of bridleways in the Borough. Most of the bridleways are in the Rivington area, with a smaller number in Heath Charnock and Coppull. There are few bridleways elsewhere in the Borough, which results in riders using roads.

11.13

Walking Within the urban areas of the Borough, footway provision is generally good. Chorley town centre is extensively pedestrianised. However, in rural areas some roads lack footways and pose safety risks. There is an extensive range of countryside paths popular with ramblers especially in the West Pennine Moors, which have more extensive public access areas. Rural footpaths are generally well way-marked and in good condition, although there are over-used and poorly drained lengths that would benefit from improvement. There is also good access to Yarrow Valley Country Park, where guided walks that place throughout the year and Cuerden Valley Park, where visitors can take advantage of 10 miles of footpaths.

11.14

Waterways The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is the main navigable waterway in the Borough and is served by several boat yards. The use of moorings along lengths of the canal suggests more off line marinas are needed. Other than individual traders serving recreational boat owners (with coal etc) there is no freight use of the canal at present, although there remains the potential for this to occur.

11.15

Air Passenger/Freight Services Manchester International Airport can be easily accessed by motorway or direct passenger rail services from Chorley. The airport operates passenger and freight services worldwide and is one of the busiest airports in Europe. Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Blackpool Airport are also within an hour’s drive from Chorley.

11.16

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12. Shopping

Chorley Town Centre Role Chorley town centre is the major retail destination within the Borough, acting as a market town centre for comparison and convenience shopping serving the local population. It is home to a wide range of shops and services and a significant number of the national chains are represented, complemented by a large number of independent stores.

12.1

12.2 The town centre environment varies from the modern Market Walk shopping development, with many national chain stores, to traditional streets with a wide mix of shops and other uses. The majority of the town centre is pedestrianised, providing a safe and pleasant town centre-shopping environment. A Town Centre Strategy has been produced which includes a range of priorities and objectives to further improve the town centre.

12.3 The town centre is also well known throughout the North West for its markets, which include the Flat Iron Market, the covered market and various specialist markets that are held from time to time, such as the Continental Market. The covered market opens five days a week with 33 lock-

up units and 37 open stalls. A refurbishment was completed in 2009 to bring it up to standard with new lights, flooring and roof feature. The Lancashire Farmers' Market takes place in Chorley on the second Saturday of every month with stalls consisting of locally produced goods including cakes, preserves, meat and green groceries.

12.4 Chorley town centre presently accommodates 10 key retailers including Argos, Boots, Dorothy Perkins, New Look and WH Smith; this is consistent with the 2005 Retail Study findings. Planning permission was recently granted for an ASDA superstore in Chorley Town Centre. The town centre does however have a limited fashion retail offer which is both limited and predominantly orientated towards the discount end of the market. The attraction of mainstream high street fashion retailers such as Next, River Island and Top Shop would be required to diversify and improve the retail offer and associated quantitative performance of the town centre in the wider sub-region (Source: CentralLancashireRetailandLeisureReview,March2010).

12.5 The 2005 Retail Study identified that Chorley was 243rd in the 2003/2004 Venue Score centre ranking; the overall trend over the past five years has however been an incremental decline in retail ranking with the town’s position declining to 298th in 2009. Given that there has been no

change in the scoring criteria in the intervening period, this decrease in hierarchy ranking may be in part attributable to the loss of a key town centre comparison retailer (i.e. Woolworth’s) or quantitative and qualitative improvements in the other comparable centres which has impacted on Chorley’s ranking position (Source: Central Lancashire Retail and Leisure Review, March 2010).

12.6 The October 2010 town centre vacancy survey showed that the vacancy rate of ground floor premises in the town centre was 8.44%. Regular pedestrian flow counts of Chorley town centre indicate that the busiest streets are Market Walk and Chapel Street, with Saturday and Tuesday being the busiest days. Pedestrian flow count results since 1995 show a gradual decrease of visitors to the town centre.

12.7 According to the Lancashire Town Centre Office Premises Study 2008 the town centre’s office stock (18,504 sqm) represents just over four percent of the county’s total town centre office stock. Whilst at a borough level this is the seventh largest, Chorley town centre represents the fourth

largest floorspace for an individual town centre. Only Preston, Blackburn and Burnley have a larger existing stock.

Out of Centre Superstores/Retail Warehouses

Chorley Borough contains a variety of superstores and retail warehouses. Chorley town has one out-of-centre Tesco superstore and a Morrison’s superstore on the edge of the town centre, plus

12.8

50

a variety of other smaller supermarkets detached from the centre. There is also an Asda superstore at Clayton Green in the Clayton Green District Centre. Out of centre non-food retail warehouses within the Borough include a number of units within Chorley town and a few freestanding retail warehouses elsewhere in the Borough. There are no major purpose built out- of-centre retail parks in the Borough. National planning guidance promotes retail development within town centres and discourages out of centre retailing, so further growth of such shopping within the Borough is likely to be limited.

Neighbouring Towns and Cities Chorley town centre operates in a very competitive retailing environment, because of the number of larger towns located in close proximity to the Borough. Preston city centre is the major shopping destination in Lancashire and is easily reached from Chorley. Bolton, Blackburn, Southport and Wigan town centres are also only a short drive, bus or train ride from Chorley. Chorley town centre faces considerable competition from these larger centres, which offer a wider choice of comparison retailing and have some of the larger national stores. Further a field, Chorley also faces competition from Manchester City Centre and the Trafford Centre, which can both be reached within an hour from the Borough. The out-of-centre Middlebrook Retail Park at Horwich also sells a wide range of comparison and convenience goods and attracts shoppers from the Borough.

12.9

Local Provision There is a variety of shopping provision serving local needs in the Borough with small individual stores in virtually all urban and rural locations. Chorley town has a variety of local shopping areas, spread throughout the town, such as at Pall Mall and Eaves Lane. The surrounding towns and villages such as Adlington, Coppull, Eccleston, and Euxton have a fair range of shops. Elsewhere there are isolated shops or groups of shops. These local shopping areas and individual shops have to compete with larger centres and stores. According to a survey conducted in 2010 9.13% of floorspace within district, neighbourhood and local centres was vacant, some of which are in a poor state of repair. There is often pressure to convert these units to housing, or other uses, which can further erode local service provision.

12.10

13. Tourism, Culture and Leisure

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Built and Natural Attractions The Borough has a wide range of attractions, including: 13.1

• Astley Hall, Coach House and Astley Park – Astley Hall in Chorley is a Grade 1 Listed Building, and is home to a museum and art gallery. It dates back to Elizabethan times, with further additions over the centuries. It stands within Astley Park, which is a 43 hectare park

located just outside Chorley Town Centre. Astley Park is a major venue for cultural events and activities in the Borough.

Blainscough Wood Nature Reserve – This is a former coal-mining site that is owned by Chorley Borough Council. Following cessation of coal mining activities, the site remained derelict and unsafe for a considerable length of time. Reclamation works undertaken by the Council between 1990-93 made the site safe and established it as a popular nature reserve.

Botany Bay – This popular retail/leisure attraction is housed in a prominent former mill building, located alongside the M61 in Chorley.

Bygone Times – This is a themed shopping destination housed in a former mill in Eccleston.

Camelot Theme Park – This is a major attraction but the operators have announced that the park is likely to close in the next few years.

Cedar Farm Galleries – This is an arts and craft centre located just outside the village of Mawdesley.

Cuerden Valley Park – established as part of Central Lancashire New Town. The park is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.

Hic Bibi Local Nature Reserve – This is an eight-hectare site developed on a former clay quarry and brick works in Coppull, which has a diverse and valuable ecology. Enhancement works have been ongoing since 1994 to make the site more accessible by creating new ponds, paths and providing new planting, fencing, stiles and information boards.

Hoghton Tower – An important Grade 1 Listed manor house

Rivington/Lever Park – Rivington is home to rugged hills, reservoirs and woodland. The Rivington Pike, an ancient beacon to warn of invasion, is a landmark that dominates the local landscape. Other unique features include the terraced gardens and garden buildings (currently in need of restoration), two late medieval Tithe Barns and a folly in the form of a half-scale replica of Liverpool Castle.

Withnell Local Nature Reserve – This site was originally part of the Chorley to Blackburn "Cherry Tree" railway line which became disused during the 1960s. The site was acquired in 1971 and was reclaimed to form a nature reserve in the early 1990s.

Yarrow Valley Country Park – this Green Flag awarded attraction provides a convenient local attraction near to Chorley town, created originally out of a restored bleach works site and now expanded along the river valley to the west. A further extension south into the former Duxbury Collieries is dependent on restoration of this area.

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Accommodation The Borough has a range of accommodation including hotels, B&Bs, camping and caravan sites. However, there are no major hotels in Chorley town centre.

13.2

Business Tourism There are a range of venues offering conference facilities with accommodation and others without accommodation. Chorley is well located for business tourism as it is close to the junctions of three motorways and has direct rail links to major destinations in the North West.

13.3

Food and Drink There has been an increase in cafes and restaurants in recent years catering for a wide range of tastes, particularly within Chorley town centre, and a rise in the number of hot food takeaways across the Borough. Some public houses have closed and the sites redeveloped for other uses, whereas some in Chorley town centre now have later opening hours.

13.4

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Exhibition and Performance Venues Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery is the only museum located within the Borough. Astley Coach House also houses an art gallery. Chorley Little Theatre is an amateur dramatics and film society venue. The Lancastrian Room in Chorley Town Hall is a large venue that now has improved access. Community centres, church halls and village halls throughout the Borough also provide venues for exhibitions and performances. Chorley Library has a gallery space that is available all year round.

13.5

Events and Activities

The Borough has a strong tradition of voluntary clubs and societies, numbering around 500 different organisations, which organise a varied programme of events and activities. Significant events include Croston Coffee Day, Chorley Churches Walking Days, Good Friday Rivington walks, the Pro Loco arts competition and the Chorley Cake Street Fair. There is an annual Midsummer Festival, which is designed to promote local bands and encourage participation in the arts through outdoor events. There is an active programme of summer street theatre in Chorley town centre and a winter showcase of events including a Christmas Light Switch On and parade. Both Yarrow Valley Park and Cuerden Park present a year round programme of participatory arts events, as well as environmental activities and healthy walks programmes. Young people’s arts events are programmed every half term holiday through the South Lancashire Arts Partnership. Community activities are run on a daily basis from the Borough’s community centres as well as numerous village halls and social clubs.

13.6

Famous People Chorley Borough is a place to which a variety of prominent historical people had close connections. These include Myles Standish, who was hired by the Merchant Adventurers to sail with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower to America, and who the recently completed Eaves Green Link Road has been named after. Other such famous figures with Chorley connections include the sugar magnate and philanthropist, Sir Henry Tate, Jeremiah Horrocks (who first recorded the transit of Venus across the Sun), soap tycoon Lord Leverhulme, Nobel Prize winner Sir Walter Norman Haworth FRS and William Shakespeare.

13.7

Contemporary figures associated with the Borough include opera singer Amanda Roocroft, actor Steve Pemberton (of the League of Gentlemen), comedian Dave Spikey, M People musician Paul Birchall and internationally acclaimed artist Leonora Carrington who originates from Clayton- le-Woods and is known as the “first woman of Surrealism”. Contemporary sports people associated with the Borough include former England rugby captain Bill Beaumont and Olympic

cyclist Bradley Wiggins who won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Sports Facilities and Development There are a good range of sports facilities in the Borough including 3 Council leisure centres, 2 public swimming pools, 2 private leisure centres with swimming pools (Next Generation and Park Hall) and numerous gyms. There are a number of Golf Courses in the Borough including an 18- hole municipal owned course at Duxbury, south of Chorley town. The course is laid out around the original grounds of the Duxbury estate and covers 180 acres of rolling Lancashire countryside. Many of the village halls also cater for various sports and activities, but some are substandard in terms of space.

13.8

13.9 Artificial turf pitches can be found at Southlands and Holy Cross High Schools in Chorley, at Buckshaw Village, and at Clayton Green Sports Centre. The Borough has many playing fields that cater for a wide range of sports, but some municipal playing fields are poorly drained, which

can lead to match cancellations. Pitches for junior football are also in short supply.

13.10 Chorley has an active Sports Forum plus a number of sports specific development groups. The Council and local sports clubs are also proactive. They all aim to provide sporting opportunities

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for all and ensure that those individuals who have both the talent and the inclination can progress through the sporting continuum and compete at the highest level possible.

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