en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Planning Committee of Chorley Borough Council in Lancashire, England, formally approved a planning application for a 75-home development submitted by Rowland Homes on July 7, 2026, with a vote of 7 in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention. The project is located on the former site of James Donaldson Timber on Railway Road in Brinscall, covering approximately 7 acres.
Rowland Homes is a residential developer headquartered in Northwest England, specializing in high-quality housing projects on brownfield and greenfield sites. The approved site, previously used for industrial purposes, currently contains 14 steel structure industrial factory buildings, offices, loading bays, and related ancillary facilities, all of which are to be demolished. The James Donaldson Timber Group is relocating its operations to a new 110,000-square-foot facility at Botany Bay Business Park, paving the way for the site's redevelopment.
According to the development plan, the project will deliver 75 new homes, comprising 8 two-bedroom, 31 three-bedroom, and 36 four-bedroom units. The housing types include townhouses, semi-detached, and detached villas. Design consultancy services for the project are provided by T10 Design and De Pol. Planning documents indicate a housing supply shortage in the area, and the demolition of existing incongruous industrial buildings is expected to bring environmental improvements.
The project previously sparked controversy, receiving 10 objections. Withnell Parish Council also raised objections, citing that the site is designated as employment land in both existing and emerging local plans. Jonathan Pickthall, Land Director at Rowland Homes, stated that the site benefits from excellent transport links via the M61, M65, and M6 motorways, and the project will bring high-quality family homes to Brinscall. The planning committee report noted that the developer's submitted feasibility and marketing reports demonstrated that the loss of employment function on the site, constrained by multiple factors, would not harm the quality of local employment supply. Lancashire County Council's highways authority and the local primary flood authority raised no objections to the project.
The approval marks the transformation of a long-idle industrial brownfield site in Brinscall into a modern residential community, helping to alleviate local housing supply pressures while reflecting the policy balance in the UK between brownfield redevelopment and housing provision.
