Balshaw Barn, Balshaw Road, Lowgill, Lancashire, LA2 8PD

change of use and conversion of barn to holiday cottage (C3), installation of a septic tank and creation of a parking area

Authority: Lancaster City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector: Woodward M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

What decided it

The inevitable domestication of the appeal site through parking areas and domestic paraphernalia associated with residential use would harm the pastoral character and scenic beauty of the Forest of Bowland AONB, and this harm cannot be outweighed by the benefits of bringing the barn back into use, given the great weight that must be afforded to AONB protection under paragraph 176 of the NPPF.

Framework references: 176

Plan policies cited: EN2, EN3, DM23, DM46, DM49

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