Case Study: Chorley Council achieves reduced town-centre vacancies and annual cost savings with Ordnance Survey

Chorley Council - Customer Case Study

Chorley Council faced rising high‑street vacancies and needed a way to attract new retailers, increase footfall and improve the town centre’s image. Working with Ordnance Survey, Chorley used OS geographic products (including OS MasterMap® Topography Layer and 1:10k–1:250k scale rasters) alongside its own non‑domestic rates and Valuation Office data to target potential tenants and streamline property information.

Ordnance Survey’s mapping data was used to build an award‑winning web‑based tool that displays vacant premises with real‑time property details (floor space, type, rateable value), enabling faster, more proactive enquiry handling. The initiative cut vacancy turnaround, helped reinvigorate the town centre and delivered measurable benefits: annual savings of £1,000, cost avoidance of £5,500, and fewer empty shops than many similar towns.

Chorley Council

Peter Malpas

Councillor