Buckshaw Village (often shortened to Buckshaw) is a 21st-century residential and industrial area between the towns of

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came pr ...

and Leyland in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, developed on the site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Chorley. It had a population of 4,000. It is divided between the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

es of

Euxton Euxton ( ) is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 9,993, however, the population is now estimated to be around 14,000 due to the incre ...

(south) and

Whittle-le-Woods Whittle-le-Woods (commonly shortened to Whittle) is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 5,434. Whittle-le-Woods lie ...

(north east) in

, with the north western part being in Leyland

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparish ...

South Ribble South Ribble is a borough in the county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The population, at the 2011 Census, was 109,057. Notable towns and villages include Walton le Dale, Bamber Bridge, Leyland and Penwortham. It ...

district. The new development covers several square miles mainly consisting of the part of

known as Buckshaw, which was requisitioned by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

in the 1930s. It is described by developers

Redrow plc Redrow plc is one of the largest British housebuilders with a network of 14 operational divisions across the UK. It is based in Flintshire, Wales and employs 2,300 people. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is currently a constituent ...

as "One of the largest brownfield schemes of its kind throughout Europe"; they report that over 3,000 homes have been built and 10,000 jobs created.

Sustainability

The area is being developed in line with

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

principles and aims to transform a

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

former

munitions Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

site. All

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...

is designed so that no earth is transported off-siteLancashire County Council (2007
Local Transport Plan Delivery Report
www site, accessed 26 June 2007 with the stripped

top soil Topsoil is the upper layer of soil. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs. Description Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic matte ...

now present in

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...

s dotted around the village. A trial scheme is in progress which uses recycled

garden waste Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as grass clippings or leaves, and domestic or industrial kitchen wastes. Green waste does not inc ...

combined with sandy clay (

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

) to produce

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

. The compost is then spread over the mounds to produce woodland areas and green public spaces. The transport strategy also incorporates sustainable principles with cycle lanes and public transport included in the masterplan. Improvements to the neighbouring M6 and M61 junctions have also been made. Public transport is also catered for by the new railway station that has been built. Designing for

storm water Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed land ...

drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditio ...

run-off uses

sustainable urban drainage systems Sustainable drainage systems (also known as SuDS, which ensure no discharge leaves the site into neighbouring water courses. Measures include roadside verge soakaways and the use of

retention pond A retention basin, sometimes called a wet pond, wet detention basin, or stormwater management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage stormwater ...

s, which are fully integrated into the landscaping. Amenities include a village centre (developed by Eden Park Developments Ltd) with shops and all-weather sports pitches, one of the five primary schools in Euxton and a medical centre. Planning permission was approved in February 2007 for a community centre which also provides office facilities for the local police.

Industry / commerce

New industrial units in Buckshaw Village - geograph

Two halves of the development are separated by a major new road called Central Avenue. To the west is an industrial and commercial centre known as Matrix Business Park. Planning permission was granted in January 2007 for Buckshaw Village's first pub. The Pub which is owned and run by Marston's was named the Bobbin Mill, and is situated in Plot 1000B of Matrix Park, which opened on 7 April 2008. Another major road, Buckshaw Avenue has been built running west–east through Buckshaw Village connecting Central Avenue to the A6. Buckshaw Avenue opened to the public in May 2007.

Revolution Park

Plans were announced in February 2006 for a new industrial development called Revolution Park, by property developers HelioSlough (a joint venture between Helios Properties PLC and Slough Estates). The site is accessed via Buckshaw Avenue and is situated in the south-east portion of the Buckshaw Village site. This is adjacent to the plot occupied by Lex Auto Logistics' new distribution centre, completed in late 2006.

Buckshaw Link

Another commercial development by Helioslough, called Buckshaw Link, had been built and completed by late 2010 and all the businesses were in place by 2011. The industrial estate is situated on land to the west of Revolution Park. A number of warehouse and industrial units are situated there, with of space left over for other usage.

Multipart Solutions Limited TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) is a firm that supplies spare parts and components to customers in the automotive, defence and utility sectors in the United Kingdom, Europe and the US. It is part of the TVS Group of companies. The company i ...

the successor to Chorley's

Leyland Trucks Leyland Trucks is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer based in Leyland, Lancashire, England. It can trace its origins back to the original Leyland Motors, which was founded in 1896, and subsequently evolved into British Leyland. Aft ...

unit moved to a new purpose built site on Buckshaw in 2007. Badger Office Supplies, the largest supplier of remanufactured ink and 12th fastest growing company in the United Kingdom, is situated near the

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

supermarket. Merlin Cycles are one of the UK's longest established online bike shops and mail order specialists. They are based in unit A1, Ordnance Road.

Housing

Up to 2000 new housing units are being built by various housebuilders, including Redrow,

Barratt Homes Barratt Developments plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros., but control was later assumed by Sir L ...

Persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus ''Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-pers ...

, and Rowland Homes. The homes are mainly targeted at the family market but many of the new homes are also specifically aimed at first-time buyers with measures such as shared ownership schemes. Additionally, a joint venture between the Hica Group and Caddick Group sees the construction of a new retirement village designed to accommodate 200 homes aimed at over 55's. This will be situated to the west of Central Avenue adjacent to

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

. There is also an eco-friendly village built in conjunction with scientists from

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, who are testing various experimental and environmentally friendly principles. The homes will use a variety of energy sources, from geothermal and

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...

wind energy Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...

. The scheme is now a show village after opening on 25 May 2006. This scheme was extended into a new development by

Persimmon Homes Persimmon plc is a British housebuilding company, headquartered in York, England. The company is named after a horse which won the 1896 Derby and St. Leger for the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). It is listed on the London Stock Ex ...

into the Water's Edge development, which features an extension to the local Trinity Church of England/Methodist Primary School. The homes also offer different ways of generating power, such as the solar panels seen on many houses.

Heritage

There are two

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s in this area that the ROF had a duty of care over. The smaller of these is Worden Old Hall, a grade II* listed building from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century which was the ancestral seat of the Farrington family of Worden and not part of Euxton, but rather part of South Ribble. It had fallen into disrepair to the extent that it appeared on

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

's Buildings At Risk register, but was redeveloped by the Maysand Group over three years, finishing in August 2006 The other building is probably the oldest intact building in Euxton, namely Buckshaw Hall, which was built in the 1650s for the Robinson family, land owners from

. Both buildings are located not far from the area known as Upper Buckshaw.

Transport

Road connections nearby include the motorways M6 and M61, as well as the A6 and A49 roads. Buckshaw Parkway railway station is one of Euxton's two railway stations (the other being

Euxton Balshaw Lane railway station Euxton Balshaw Lane is one of two railway stations situated in Euxton , Lancashire, England. It is a local station on the West Coast Main Line on the stretch between Wigan and . History The railway line between Wigan and was opened by the Nort ...

); it opened on 3 October 2011. The railway station is situated opposite

Runshaw College Runshaw College is a further and higher education college based at three centres in Leyland and Chorley, Lancashire, England. History Runshaw College was established in 1974. It initially catered solely for school leavers from Balshaw's High ...

, and provides 3tph south to

Hazel Grove Hazel Grove is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, close to the Peak District national park. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Cheshire, the area was kno ...

and

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...

or 3tph north to Blackpool North through Preston. Bus services run by

Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Ribble Motor Services in 1988 from the National Bus Company ( ...

offer connections to Chorley, Leyland and Preston. Route 109 connects Chorley to Preston and was a joint venture run by

John Fishwick John Palmer Fishwick (September 29, 1916 – August 9, 2010) was an American railroad executive and chief executive of Norfolk and Western Railway. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, John was a graduate of Jefferson High School in downtown. He was o ...

until the company ceased trading in October 2015; service 109A connects Chorley to Leyland via Astley Village, Chorley Hospital and Buckshaw Village during the daytime every 30 minutes. The developers of Buckshaw Village have incorporated an extensive cycle network into the masterplan and were awarded the 2005

Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kin ...

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Award for Excellence for Developer Infrastructure.Lancashire County Council (2007
Local Transport Plan
, www site, accessed 4 May 2007 Buckshaw Village forms part of the National Cycle Route 55 of the National Cycle Network.

Divisions

Buckshaw Village is split with sections in three Parish and Borough boundaries. Matrix Park and much of the north west side of the village is in Leyland (i.e.

Borough Council) with a few homes on the Eastern side when built falling within the

parish boundary. The majority of the homes will be in the parish of

as part of the Astley & Buckshaw Borough Ward. Both

and

Parish Councils fall within

Chorley Borough Council Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came pr ...

. It is understood Chorley borough will adopt all of Buckshaw Village within its boundaries once the development is complete and likely incorporate all of it into

Parish Council where the majority of the area historically lies.

References

{{authority control Villages in Lancashire Geography of Chorley Geography of South Ribble New towns in England