Buckshaw Village
| Buckshaw Village | |
.jpg) Buckshaw Village, Chorley |
|
  Buckshaw Village |
|
| Population | 4,000 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SD562210 |
| Civil parish | Euxton |
| District | Chorley |
| Shire county | Lancashire |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHORLEY |
| Postcode district | PR7 |
| Dialling code | 01772 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Chorley |
|
|
Coordinates: 53°40′59″N 2°39′50″W / 53.683°N 2.664°W
Buckshaw Village (often shortened to Buckshaw) is a new residential and industrial area between the towns of Chorley and Leyland in Lancashire, the original area of Buckshaw being part of Euxton. It is one of the largest urban development sites in the North West of England with a population of about 4,000.
The new development is taking place on the former site of the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Chorley, and covers several square kilometres. The area of land was known as Buckshaw, before it was requisitioned by the War Office in the 1930s. There is also a Buckshaw Scout team, in two groups.
There are two listed buildings in this area that the ROF had a duty of care over. They are, the smaller Old Worden Hall, which has recently been redeveloped by the Maysand Group,[1] the ancestral seat of a branch of the Farrington family associated with the Worden Park historical ownership and the other building is Buckshaw Hall, which was built in the 1650s for the Robinson family, land owners from Chorley.[2] Both buildings are located not far from the area known as Upper Buckshaw.
Sustainability
The village is being developed in line with sustainable development principles and aims to transform a brownfield former munitions site. All landscaping is designed so that no earth is transported off-site[3] with the stripped top soil now present in mounds dotted around the village. A trial scheme is in progress which uses recycled garden waste combined with sandy clay loam to produce compost.[4] 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.[3] Public transport is also catered for by the new railway station that has been built.
Designing for storm water drainage run-off uses sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS)[3] which ensure no discharge leaves the site into neighbouring water courses. Measures include roadside verge soakaways and the use of retention ponds 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 with future plans including a primary school[3] and medical centre. Planning permission was approved in February 2007 for a community centre which will also provide office facilities for the local police.
Industry / Commerce
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.[5] Planning permission[6] 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[7] of Matrix Park, which opened on 7 April 2008.
Another major road named 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[8] by property developers HelioSlough (a joint venture between Helios Properties plc and Slough Estates). The 30 hectare site is accessed via Buckshaw Avenue and is situated in the south-east portion of the Buckshaw Village site. This is adjacent to the 2½ hectare 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 4 acres (16,000 m2) of space left over for other usage.
Multipart Solutions Limited the successor to Chorley's Leyland Trucks 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 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[9]
Housing
Up to 2000 new housing units are being built by various housebuilders including Redrow, Barratt Homes, Persimmon 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.
There is also an eco-friendly village built in conjunction with scientists from University of Manchester, who are testing various experimental and environmentally friendly principles. The homes will use a variety of energy sources, from geo-thermal and solar power to wind energy. The scheme is now a show village after opening on 25 May 2006.
Transport
Road connections nearby include the motorways M6 and M61, as well as the A6 and A49 roads.
Buckshaw Parkway railway station serves the village and opened on 3 October 2011. The railway station is situated opposite Runshaw College.
A bus service run jointly by John Fishwick and Stagecoach offers connections to Chorley, Leyland and Preston on route number 109. Stagecoach also run service 10 between Chorley and Buckshaw Village via Astley 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 National Cycle Network Award for Excellence for Developer Infrastructure.[10] Buckshaw Village forms part of the National Cycle Route 55 of the National Cycle Network.
Divisions
Buckshaw Village is currently 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. South Ribble Borough Council) with a few homes on the Eastern side when built falling within the Whittle-le-Woods parish boundary. The majority of the homes will be in the parish of Euxton as part of the Astley & Buckshaw Borough Ward. Both Euxton and Whittle-le-Woods Parish Councils fall within Chorley Borough Council.
It is understood Chorley borough will adopt all of Buckshaw Village within its boundaries once the development is complete with the village perhaps eventually having its own parish council.
Bomb Scare
A suspicious package was found within an industrial unit in Buckshaw village on the 29th of January 2016. The package was made safe by bomb disposal experts and was later found to be of no risk and genuine correspondence to the company involved.[11]
Sex Parties
Buckshaw Village gained national notoriety when a sex party organiser was attacked by one of his guests during an all-night drug fuelled orgy. Police were called to the party venue on the morning of 9th May 2015, the injured host was taken to hospital and a Lower Buckshaw Village resident was subsequently arrested and convicted of ABH. The incident was widely reported in the national press.[12][13][14]
Beast of Buckshaw
In October 2009 sightings of a mysterious creature started to be reported by local residents in and around Buckshaw Village. A photograph of the animal, said to resemble a cross between a wolf, a hyena, a wild boar and a big cat was printed in the Daily Mail.[15] The Beast of Buckshaw went on to terrorise the villagers of Buckshaw for several months, with multiple reports of it scaring pets, mutilating wild deer and ransacking dustbins.[16] Despite many investigations conducted by leading experts in cryptozoology a conclusive explanation for the animal was never found, with theories ranging from an elaborate hoax to an escaped boar.[17]
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buckshaw Village. |
- ↑ Maysand Ltd (2004) A passion for restoration : Old Worden Hall, Leyland, Lancashire, Maysand Case Studies, www site, accessed 3 May 2007
- ↑ Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society (2007) Chorley Halls, list no. 24, www site, accessed 3 May 2007
- 1 2 3 4 Lancashire County Council (2007) Local Transport Plan Delivery Report, www site, accessed 26 June 2007
- ↑ Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) (2007) Case Study, www site, accessed 26 June 2007
- ↑ Matrix Park (2007) Home page, www site, accessed 3 May 2007
- ↑ South Ribble Borough Council (2007)Planning Application Decisions, www site, accessed 5 May 2007
- ↑ Matrix Park (2006) Masterplan, www site, accessed 3 May 2007
- ↑ Helioslough (2007) The Revolution, Home Page, www site, accessed 3 May 2007
- ↑ http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/fasttrack/leagues/dbDetails.asp?siteID=1&compID=3000&yr=2010
- ↑ Lancashire County Council (2007) Local Transport Plan, www site, accessed 4 May 2007
- ↑ http://www.thebee.co.uk/news/local-news/1868899/update-package-found-in-buckshaw-deemed-not-suspicious/
- ↑ https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/69611/it-boss-battered-swingers-party-host-when-he-couldnt-find-his-trousers-after-all-night-orgy/
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3342191/Drunk-boss-avoid-jail-headbutting-orgy-organiser-lost-TROUSERS.html
- ↑ http://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/sex-party-attack-shame-1-7601865
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244693/Pictured-The-mystery-Buckshaw-Beast-savaging-animals-terrorising-villagers.html
- ↑ http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/hunt-for-the-beast-of-buckshaw-1-2024552
- ↑ https://mysterioustimes.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/the-buckshaw-beast-case/