Land adjacent to Blackleach Farm, Blackburn Old Road, Great Harwood, Lancashire, BB6 7UU

Authority: Hyndburn Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: leisure-sport · Other minor developments
Inspector: Major R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether or not the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and relevant development plan policies
the effect on the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the use of the existing access on the safety of users of Blackburn Old Road
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 to justify the development

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt that would harm openness and character, combined with unresolved highway safety concerns regarding visibility splays, and the economic benefits do not clearly outweigh these harms to justify very special circumstances.

Framework references: 11, 16, 153, 154

Plan policies cited: Policy DM34, Policy DM32, Policy Env3, Policy Env6

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.