Land off Barcroft Green, Walk Mill, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 4TL

stage 1 permission in principle application for 1 no. self-build dwelling

Authority: Burnley Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Dillon C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether or not the site is a suitable location for residential development, having regard to the effect on the character and appearance of the area
whether or not the location of the appeal proposal would contribute towards a sustainable pattern of development for the area

What decided it

The considerable harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area caused by the site's elevated, exposed location beyond the settlement boundary, which would be particularly prominent from short and medium-distance public vantage points and would represent a significant incursion into open countryside, outweighed the benefits of providing a self-build dwelling in an area with adequate housing supply.

The identified conflict with the development plan regarding character and appearance and sustainable development pattern was not outweighed by the benefits of providing housing and self-build provision, given the limited contribution of a single dwelling and the Council's demonstrated adequate housing land supply.

Plan policies cited: Policy NE3, Policy SP4, Policy SP5

Judgments cited: Julian Wood Vs. SOS for Communities and Local Government and Gravesham Borough Council [2015] EWCA

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.