News : Future Plans on Hold
The Legacy Rainbow House is very disappointed with the outcome of Chorley Borough Council's Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday evening at which the charity's plans to develop its site were refused subject to advice from officers over a procedural aspect.
The application was to develop a specialist acquired disability unit providing intensive rehabilitation for young people with disabilities and brain injuries, and amputees. Also as a continuation of the rehabilitation process, the application included a Sports Therapy Unit, a crucial part of how the charity plans to integrate our young people back into their local peer group through their community sports activities. This would have a profound effect on the young people as they would be mentored by paralympians, their confidence and self -belief increased, and this would have a knock on effect for our overall social economy, as reduced support would be needed after their involvement in these services.
The plan also included ahydrotherapy pool to overcome spasticity and help the children to increase their flexibility and finally 11 accommodation lodges for holidays and short breaks for children and young people with brain injury, disability and disadvantaged carers. This is a much needed resource within the community, parents of disabled children get little or no breaks and they may get even less next year with the massive cuts planned across community services.
The charity is very disappointed about the manner in which the planning application was considered. Amendments to reduce the scale of the original development were formally communicated to Chorley Borough Council officers more than a week before the meeting (following discussions with officers) with a request to defer the application to give time for the supporting documents (including illustrative plans) to be updated and the Council to undertake reconsultations locally. Yet at the meeting the members considered the original more extensive, superseded proposals and they were against them.
We are now awaiting information from Council officers on whether the Planning Committee should have considered the original proposals (rather than the amended proposals) as members rejected The Legacy’s request to have the decision deferred. The Legacy Rainbow House is very concerned and has made its position clear to the Council.
The amended application is to develop a specialist acquired brain injury unit, a hydrotherapy pool and 6 lodges for short break provision for children with disabilities.
Officers are now deliberating on the procedural problem and we hope they will resolve this matter quickly and move forward to deal with the charity's amended application in the very near future."
Joe Mawdsley, Founder and Chief Executive of the charity says,
“I am saddened to say the least, but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There has been some scare mongering in the local community and what has been said is untrue, misleading and unfair. The fears that we will become a commercial entity or a holiday park are completely unfounded. We are disadvantaging disabled and non-disabled children by not proceeding with our plans. I was disappointed that very little in the Planning Committee Meeting was about valid issues and concerns.
We have already developed this site from an unsightly waste ground into an attractive centre with a growing national reputation for excellent services to disabled children.
We will continue with our plans to develop provide fantastic, nationally renowned services for disabled children, and we will continue to press to develop this site.”
