14 Speakmans Drive, Appley Bridge, WIGAN, WN6 9AT

Proposed renovation and conversion of an existing outbuilding (former workers' cottage) to a detached dwelling

Authority: West Lancashire District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Brook S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and any relevant development plan policies
The effect of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the building and the area
If the development is inappropriate, whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The building was not of permanent and substantial construction, and the proposal would not preserve the openness of the Green Belt, making it inappropriate development that could not be justified by very special circumstances.

Framework references: 11, 138, 148, 149, 150

Plan policies cited: Policy GN1, Policy GN3

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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What an account adds

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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.

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