This is why new Chorley prison inquiry has been paused - and what happens next

The proceedings will restart on 23rd April after the inquiry was left with outstanding evidence to hear following its sitting last week. So-called “reserve days” had already been pencilled in to deal with that eventuality.

The Lancashire Post understands that the event will now conclude on 26th April when closing statements will be made by all of the parties involved.

When it reconvenes, the inquiry will hear from a highways expert acting on behalf of the government who will be quizzed over whether - and how - a series of road safety issues relating to the building and operation of the new 1,700-inmate jail in Ulnes Walton could be addressed.

CATCH UP ON THE PRISON INQUIRY SO FAR:

>» Country lane will see 'an HGV every minute-and-a-half' if new prison is built

>» ‘Only locals know how dangerous the roads around here are, inquiry told.

That follows the cross-examination last week of witnesses for both Chorley Council - which refused the Ministry of Justice’s planning application for the prison in December 2021 - and the Ulnes Walton Action Group, a group of locals who oppose the plans. They each set out a raft of reasons as to why the local road network would be unable to cope with the resultant increase in traffic - especially during the construction phase.

Kevin Riley, a traffic consultant appearing as a witness for Chorley Council, calculated that one HGV vehicle every 90 seconds would be heading down the narrow Ulnes Walton Lane during some periods - and warned that articulated lorries would be forced into potentially dangerous reversing manoeuvres if they met head-on at many points along the rural route.

>» Join our new WhatsApp community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone.

The inquiry did not sit on Thursday last week, because it was concluded that there would be insufficient time to hear in full from the government witness before the Easter break, which would have meant a three-week gap but they could continue to give their evidence.

The inquiry was originally staged in July 2022, after which the inspector who chaired it - Tom Gilbert-Wooldridge - recommended that Chorley Council’s refusal of planning permission should be upheld.

A planning inspector would usually make the final decision over the outcome of an appeal they had heard, but the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, had already indicated that he would take the step of ‘recovering’ the prison appeal - meaning his department would ultimately decide, having considered Mr. Gilbert-Wooldridge's assessment and recommendation.

It was announced in January 2023 that Mr. Gove was “minded to” to go against that recommendation and grant permission for the prison - but only if he could be assured that road safety issues raised at the original inquiry could be “satisfactorily addressed”.

To that end, the inquiry was ordered to reconvene to hear revised proposals about how the impact of the development on the highway network could be mitigated.

Mr. Gilbert-Wooldridge will make a fresh recommendation following the conclusion of the inquiry later this month, but Mr. Gove will once again have the final say.