'Super-prison' approved as residents wishes defeated
Plus: Two now hospital sites confirmed and on the run man arrested in Greece,
Hello and welcome to the 75th edition of The Lancashire Lead. There’s plenty to cover in the latest newsletter, including a Government decision to overturn the refusal of a huge new prison, confirmation of the sites for two new hospitals in the county, the arrest of a man who was subject to a £20,000 information appeal, a new law to protect stalking victims, and a rogue landlord who left an asylum seeker living in dangerous and desperately poor quality housing.
For new readers, The Lancashire Lead is a subscription-based, twice weekly newsletter bringing you news and features from across the county, without the ad-interrupted experience and irrelevant content that has become a frustrating experience for readers of local news.
This newsletter is entirely independent and edited by Jamie Lopez, a reporter with more than a decade of experience covering Lancashire. The existing funding model for journalism is broken and unsustainable but your support can enable investigative and original reporting and paid subscribers can access features exclusively available to them. Please consider taking a paid subscription if you’re able to.
And as we approach the season the season of goodwill (and, let’s face it, present-giving), you can also gift a subscription to a friend or family member using this link.
I spent Tuesday listening to the latest stage of the public inquiry into Blackpool Council’s plans to compulsorily purchase homes it wants to demolish to make way for its Multiversity development (sign up for the Blackpool Lead to find out more about that). In an unexpected co-incidence, our first story takes to the outcome of another inquiry - and one in which a Government minister has overturned the previous decision.
‘Super-prison’ approved by Government as refusal overturned
A third prison - housing as many as 1,700 inmates - will be built in a Lancashire village after the Government overturned a decision to refuse planning permission.
Chorley Borough Council refused plans for a so-called super-prison in 2021, amid various concerns including over traffic issues and the proximity to a school. The decision was appealed by the Ministry of Justice, sparking a public inquiry which would normally see the Planning Inspectorate have the final decision.
The chair of that inquiry concluded in the favour of the local council and campaigners from the Ulnes Walton Action Group, ruling that the appeal should be dismissed and the planning application be refused. However, Michael Gove stepped in to “recover” the final decision, meaning the Government would have the final say.
Since then, a change of Government has taken place but the decision has remained in the hands of the now-renamed Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. In a quietly announced decision, Minister of State for Housing and Planning Matthew Pennycook yesterday overturned the refusal and granted approval to the outline planning application on behalf of Angela Rayner.
That means the plans can move forward to a reserved matters application which will be even more difficult to refuse. Explaining the decision, a letter from Mr Pennycook explained that Ms Rayner largely agreed with the planning inspector’s findings, but ultimately decided that need for the prison outweighed the harm it will cause.
Within the decision letter, it is argued that newly proposed measure could mitigate the previously unsolved issues of cars speeding in the area, increased traffic and queuing, and the increased risk of pedestrians being struck by vehicles. However, these still need to be clarified and finalised at the design stage.
Explaining the perceived benefits of the plan, the letter states:
“Weighing in favour of the development is the need for the development which attracts significant weight, the benefits associated with a modern prison which attracts significant weight, the economic benefits which attract significant weight, the replacement bowling green which attracts significant weight, upgrades to Pump House Lane which attract moderate weight, and the environmental benefits which attract moderate weight.”
The prison is to be built on the edge of Chorley and South Ribble, near to the existing HMP Wymott and HMP Garth. The decision can be appealed again, in which case the matter would be taken to the High Court.
Murder investigation sees man arrested in Athens
A man subject to a £20,000 appeal for information in relation to the murder of Matthew Daulby has been arrested.
Mr Daulby, 19, was killed in Ormskirk town centre when a fight broke out between two groups in July 2023. The teenager suffered head injuries and a stab wound and was rushed to hospital after collapsing on Moorgate but his injuries proved fatal.
In March, then-19-year-old Henry Houghton was sentenced to at least 20 years in jail after being found guilty of Mr Daulby’s murder at Preston Crown Court. However, after the trial police said they still wanted to speak with Thomas Dures, 21, and have made repeated appeals for help finding him.
A £10,000 reward for information about his whereabouts was made available by Crimestoppers and then matched by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner’s office. In October, the force extended its search to Spain as detectives repeated the belief he may be withholding vital information.
Following enquiries from The Lancashire Lead this week, Lancashire Constabulary has now confirmed that Dures has now been arrested in Europe. A police spokesperson said:
“Dures was arrested in Athens yesterday (2nd December) and has appeared in court in Greece this morning. Arrangements will then be made to bring him back to the United Kingdom.”
Decision announced for new Preston and Lancaster hospital sites
By Paul Faulkner
The NHS has revealed where it is provisionally planning to build the new hospitals promised for Preston and Lancaster.
If the preferred locations ultimately get the go-ahead, the new Royal Preston will spring up on land off Stanifield Lane in Farington, close to the junction of the M65 and M6. The proposed plot is close to the site that was once earmarked for a new IKEA store and lies in South Ribble – some eight miles from the city’s existing hospital in Fulwood.
Meanwhile, the new Royal Lancaster Infirmary has been earmarked for a site at Bailrigg East – between the A6 and the M6 – just north of Lancaster University’s Health Innovation Campus. The land is around two miles south of the current facility.
It is understood that deals to acquire both sites were concluded last week but health bosses are keen to stress that no final decisions have been taken and full public consultations into the proposals will be carried out before the blueprints – which would also require planning permission – are given final approval.
Rebecca Malin – programme director for the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme – said some degree of “certainty” was needed about possible locations in order to move into the public engagement and consultation phases.
So-called “pre-consultation engagement” will take place between January and March next year when the public will be asked for their thoughts via a survey and will also be able to attend a series of special events at which they can ask questions and find out more about the plans.
Ms Malin said it would be key to informing the subsequent consultation. “We will be able to show how we’ve responded to [the views expressed]…and that then helps us come out and do a really meaningful consultation at a later date,” she said.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that there had been a painstaking assessment of the sites so far put forward, all of which had to lie within a 10-mile radius of the current facilities. The LDRS understands a dozen were considered for the Royal Preston and nine for the Royal Lancaster.
“We started [by asking], ‘How big is it [and] what access does it have?’ And then we’ve had a series of [questions relating to] the highway solutions for the sites [and whether] there are any significant planning restrictions.
“That’s how we’ve narrowed it down – it was just a gradual appraisal. And then we’ve had to do appraisals around ecology…[and] all the environmental aspects.
“But it’s not just about the land and building hospitals – it is the much wider opportunity that [this] brings, whether it’s from partnerships for education, training, research, technology and net-zero carbon. There are so many opportunities [for] how far we could take this to the benefit of our whole community.”
The current hospitals in Preston and Lancaster will continue to operate as normal until their replacements open.
The proposed new facilities will have single rooms with ensuite facilities for all inpatients – a far cry from what is available on the existing sites. Ms says that the design will transform the experience of a hospital stay.
“I think we move away from thinking of it as ‘single rooms’, as we do now, [to] single bedrooms – and then there will be space for you to interact, socialise [and] have your therapeutic environment outside of your bedroom.”
No details have yet been published about the number of beds that will be available at each site – although the NHS says it expects them to be “similar” to current levels – nor about that other perennial patient concern, car parking.
Silas Nicholls, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the chosen site was its preferred option to replace the Royal Preston.
“A new hospital will improve quality, safety and patient experience and have a transformative impact on the services we will be able to provide on-site and in our wider communities, so we can meet the needs of our patients and future generations.
“In addition, it would drive much-needed investment to the region, acting as the catalyst for future jobs, skills, research and further economic development opportunities.”
Aaron Cummins, chief executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“A new hospital on a new site in Lancaster will allow us to fully address the significant problems that we face with the current ageing buildings at Royal Lancaster Infirmary and will bring huge benefits to our communities and to the wider economy.
“We have the opportunity to create a legacy, with a hospital specifically designed for the needs of our population, improving their experience and giving them the best clinical care. We additionally have significant ambitions to create facilities that are digitally innovative, much more cost effective, and with a reduced carbon footprint.”
Over 25,000 Lancashire residents are saving on energy bills, reducing their carbon footprint and increasing the value of their homes–now it’s your turn. Cosy Homes in Lancashire has supported countless locals with energy-saving improvements. Find out if you're eligible today.
Landlord convicted after renting condemned house to asylum seeker
A rogue landlord who left an asylum seeker living in a condemned house where he slept in a tent for warmth has been fined less than £3,000.
Sharaz Manzur, from Earby, pleaded guilty to breaching a Prohibition Order and admitted he allowed an asylum seeker to live in the unfit property on Beaufort Street, Nelson. The home had been deemed unsafe for occupation in 2022 because of unsafe electrics, no heating or hot water, cracked and broken windows and many other issues.
Despite the home being unsuitable for use, a tenancy agreement had been agreed. When council officers visited, they found the tenant was sleeping in a tent inside the property to keep warm and had removed the gas fire so that he could light a fire to both keep warm and cook with.
Manzur initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea at his latest hearing this week, claiming that he received no rental income and that the tenant was working on the property. He said this work is continuing and he shortly hopes to contact Pendle Borough Council to get the order lifted.
The court agreed Manzur blatantly ignored the order and took advantage of a vulnerable asylum seeker and accommodated him in a dangerous property. He was ordered to pay fines, costs and a victim surcharge which totalled £2,916.50.
Following the court case, Councillor Asjad Mahmood, Leader of Pendle Borough Council, said:
“This case demonstrates our commitment to tackling criminal and rogue landlords. There is no excuse for landlords who choose to ignore the law.
“This successful prosecution will set an example to the small minority of landlords who put their tenants at risk and take advantage of vulnerable people.”
🚓 A woman has been found guilty of causing the death of her partner by dangerous driving after a wedding (Lancashire Telegraph).
☢️ EDF is expected to be given approval to extend the lifespan of its nuclear plant in Heysham (The i, £).
✂️ Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been accused of bringing the Speaker’s role into disrepute by opening Betfred’s multimillion-pound new HQ (The Guardian).
🪳 An uncontrolled cockroach infestation and the discovery of a dead rat were among the reasons which forced the closure of a takeaway (Blog Preston).
Lancaster Guardian’s Gayle Rouncivell reports from the latest Eden Project Morecambe community conversation where the man in charge of the development promised big movement will be seen in 2025.
Si Bellamy, Eden’s chief transformation officer, described 2024 as the year when the project reached the “start line” as £50m of Government funding was officially confirmed to make it a reality.
Initial on-site work is expected to take place by March 2025, with construction work likely to begin in 2025/26 and the latest estimated opening date pushed back to 2028. Mr Bellamy said:
“We know there will be challenging times ahead because no project of this scale is smooth running but this is such a positive project and through support Eden Project Morecambe will be achieved.”
You can read the full story here.
Previous editions of this newsletter have seen discussions of potential changes to Lancashire’s administration which could see the existing councils wiped away and replaced by three or four new ones. Part of the response to that was Wyre Council’s leader and Fylde’s MP moving quickly to distance their areas from any merger with Blackpool.
The latest update sees a more positive response to change, as the leaders of South Ribble and Chorley councils suggested joining up with West Lancashire to form a single local authority for the entire area.
By Paul Faulkner
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands a formal blueprint has been sent to the government making the case for the new arrangement – and indicating how changes to the council map elsewhere in Lancashire could be shaped around it.
Details of a separate letter in which the idea was first floated emerged during a meeting of South Ribble’s full council on Wednesday. The proposed tie-up notably does not include Preston – in spite of the city being one of the three planks of the informal patch known as ‘Central Lancashire’, together with its South Ribble and Chorley neighbours. The district trio have also co-operated closely on housing for more than a decade, pooling targets for the number of new homes to be built across the wider area.
West Lancashire’s Borough Council’s stance on the plan is unclear, although its leader is not believed to have signed the proposal submitted to the government.
The LDRS understands that the suggested merger of South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire – which have a combined population of just over 350,000 – has been put to ministers in the context of the creation of four new, so-called ‘unitary’ councils across Lancashire.
The other proposed authorities would bring together Preston, Lancaster and Ribble Valley in one council area; Fylde, Blackpool and Wyre in another; and Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Pendle in a third.
Preston City Council is yet to lay out its exact preference for any revamped council structure in Lancashire, with the authority’s leader Matthew Brown calling only for an attempt at “consensus” before any changes are imposed by the government.
However, in 2020, the city authority suggested banding together with South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire – but the latter trio indicated they would prefer to proceed with just the three of them.
South Ribble and Chorley councils already share an array of back office functions and also have a joint chief executive, although the two remain entirely separate entities. During South Ribble’s full council meeting, Labour leader Jacky Alty was quizzed by opposition members over the fact she had put her name to the initial document setting out a suggested vision for the borough’s future.
Conservative opposition group leader Karen Walton asked when she had “received the mandate” to put forward the proposal – “when there has been no discussion or vote taken by this council for her to sanction such a decision”.
Cllr Alty stressed that she had “neither ruled anything out nor ruled anything in” by her actions, adding: “I have indicated an openness to consider all options which would benefit South Ribble’s residents and…I think that is what I’m expected to do.”
She also put the merger proposal in the context of the situation created by Lancashire’s devolution deal which will see the establishment of a new county combined authority (CCA) in the new year. Full membership of that organisation – which will oversee the extra powers and cash coming to the county – is reserved for the three top-tier authorities that signed the agreement: Lancashire County Council and Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils.
Lancashire’s dozen district authorities – which include Chorley and South Ribble – will have two representatives on the CCA, but they will sit as ‘non-constituent members’ and so will not have a vote.
Cllr Alty said she would “prefer” districts to remain in existence, but noted that they will not have “a voice” on the CCA. “Anything I need to do to support the residents and their future…I will do that – and…that’s whether [or not] it runs contrary to what I would like,” she said.
Councillors resolved to defer the issue of a referendum to a later date, after the publication of the government’s devolution white paper.
Thank you for reading today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. I’ll be back on Sunday with the next issue. Sign up here to receive it direct to your inbox and please consider taking a paid subscription to support my work.
