The Council of Chorley Council met on 23 September 2025 and voted to implement an immediate Article 4 direction to manage the conversion of dwelling houses into houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) across the borough. Councillors also approved the publication of a revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005, effective from 14 December 2025, until 14 December 2028, and agreed to continue the moratorium on fracking within the borough.

Here are the key topics discussed:

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) Article 4 Direction

The council approved the making of an immediate Article 4 Direction under the Town and Country (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. This removes permitted development rights for changing a building's use from a dwelling house (Class C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation¹ (HMO) (Class C4). Now, planning permission will be required for such conversions.

The decision was made after considering information about options for introducing a borough-wide Article 4 direction. The council also approved the required notifications and publication of a public notice. A further report will be presented to a future council meeting, following notification and consultation, to seek approval on whether or not to confirm the immediate Article 4 direction.

The report on Houses in Multiple Occupation HMOs Article 4 Direction noted that the introduction of an Article 4 direction will allow better regulation and monitoring of HMOs, as HMOs will be identified for mandatory licensing and routine monitoring, and conditions can be attached to planning permissions. It will improve the council's ability to ensure the management standards of HMOs are maintained. The report also stated that an Article 4 direction is not an automatic ban on new HMOs.

The council considered two alternative options:

• Introducing a non-immediate Article 4 direction, which was discounted because of the risk of a large number of C3 to C4 conversions being carried out under permitted development rights prior to the introduction of the measure .
• Not introducing an Article 4 direction, which was rejected because the council would not have control of conversion to small HMOs and there would be a risk of clusters of HMOs occurring.

The Equality Impact Assessment noted that the measure will ensure newly created HMOs come through the planning process and therefore are subject to provisions across planning and housing legislation and policies.

Recommendation of Licensing Committee- Publication of Statement of Principles under Gambling Act 2005

The council voted to accept the recommendation of the Licensing Committee and publish the revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005², to take effect from 14 December 2025 until 14 December 2028. The council also noted the responses to the statutory consultation and the minor revisions made to the draft Statement of Principles as a result of these responses.

The report stated that it is a statutory requirement of the Gambling Act 2005 to review the Statement of Principles every three years.

The Consultation Report noted that three responses were received during the public consultation, from the Betting and Gaming Council, Luxury Leisure/ Talarius Ltd and GambleAware.

The Statement of Principles outlined the principles that the authority will apply when carrying out its functions under the Gambling Act 2005.

To consider the Notices of Motion given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10

The council voted to acknowledge that many Chorley residents strongly oppose shale gas and oil extraction in Chorley due to the problems inherent with it, and to note the current moratorium on fracking and seek for that position to be continued and endorsed by Lancashire County Council (LCC) as the relevant local planning authority.

The council also agreed to ask the Council Leader to write to the Leader of Lancashire County Council requesting LCC's written pledge for continued support for the current moratorium against Fracking and that they publicly renounce and refute the views of his parties deputy leader and others in Reform UK who share his views.

Other Matters

• Yarrow Bridge Depot Budget: The council discussed and deferred a decision on the budget approval for the Yarrow Bridge Depot.
• Debt Write Off: Councillors discussed and deferred a decision on a proposed debt write off.
• Scrutiny Reporting Back - Annual Report of Overview and Scrutiny 2024-25: The council noted the Annual Report of Overview and Scrutiny 2024-25.
• Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report: The council noted the Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report.
• Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Task and Finish Groups: The council noted the general report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 July, as detailed in the Chorley Overview and Scrutiny Report September 2025.
• Audit and Governance Committee: The council noted the general report of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 23 July, as detailed in the Report of Audit Governance Committee July 2025 Meeting.
• Exclusion of the Public and Press: The council approved the exclusion of the press and public for discussion of the Yarrow Bridge Depot Budget Approval and Proposed Debt Write Off items due to the likely disclosure of exempt information.
• Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.