Please support our plans for the future development of The Legacy site and help children with brain injuries, disabilities and life limiting conditions from throughout the UK.

 On Tuesday 22nd June 2010 the planning committee at Chorley Borough Council rejected our charities plans for vital expansion - we have now amended the proposed plans.  Please read the following press statement to know more about our new plans.

Following deliberations in June this year, Chorley Borough Council decided to defer determination of a planning application to enable The Legacy Rainbow House to lodge amended illustrative plans and updated information.

These new plans and updated information, lodged with Chorley Borough Council and Mawdesley Parish Council in the last few days, reflect The Legacy’s decision just prior to the June Planning Committee meeting to amend the application by significantly reducing its scale. In particular this includes the removal of the largest element, a Sports Therapy building akin to a small sports hall, and a reduction in the number of accommodation lodges from 11 to 6.

The changes reflect due consideration and respect towards the concerns and sensitivities of both Chorley Borough Council and some local residents.

The proposed new development of The Legacy site has been put forward in response to the clear needs of disabled children and their families. The reduced proposals, include

• A specialist acquired disability unit providing intensive rehabilitation for young people with disabilities due to illness, accident or trauma.  
• A hydrotherapy pool to overcome contractures of the limbs helping children to become more supple prior to therapy sessions, and to relieve the pain of muscular spasms.  
• 6 accommodation lodges (reduced from 11) accommodation for young people accessing rehabilitation, for the provision of short break services for children with disability and brain injury and disadvantaged carers.

In addition, taking note of some residents’ views in the immediate vicinity, the access and egress arrangements have been revised.

The extent of the application site has also been contracted.

Chorley Council members, officers, Parish Council members and the public are being encouraged to visit The Legacy to view the facilities and services currently on offer and find out more about the need for the new development.

The Legacy Rainbow House is a unique and attractive centre with a national reputation for excellent services for disabled children and their families.  The centre supports over 220 disabled children and offers a range of services which cannot be found anywhere else in the country. 

The charity’s ethos fits closely with the aims of the government’s new agenda in which social enterprises and charities are encouraged to play a greater role in the running of public services to meet the needs of local communities, and it is proud to say that it meets the United Nations convention on the rights of people with disabilities, regarding the provision of rehabilitation and habilitation services.

The charity believes that its plans will not have a material impact on the Green Belt and are very sensitive to the rural environment.  It believes there are very special circumstances for the development on this site which it hopes will allow the new application to be approved.