Knott Farm, Chipping Road, Thornley , Lancashire, PR3 2TB

change of use from former agricultural barn building to single dwelling house Class C3(a) following part demolition of recent steel frame extension to north end and erection of replacement pitched roof to north end

Authority: Ribble Valley Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Manchester S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effects of the proposal on the character and appearance of the appeal building and the area, including the Forest of Bowland National Landscape
The effects of the proposal on protected species and their habitat

What decided it

The proposal would cause significant harm to the traditional agricultural character and appearance of the building, farmstead group and Forest of Bowland National Landscape through domestication and loss of rural vernacular character, conflicting with the development plan and Framework guidance on conserving National Landscapes, and this harm was not outweighed by any material considerations.

The housing supply benefit was outweighed by the significant harm to the character and appearance of the building and the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, with the Framework's protection of National Landscapes providing a strong reason for refusal that displaced the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: EN2, DMG1, DMG2, DMH4, EN4, DME3

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.

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