®Planning appeal decision
2-3 May Cottages Back Lane, Newburgh, Wigan, WN8 7UQ
Planning appeal 3375999 at 2-3 May Cottages Back Lane, Newburgh, Wigan, WN8 7UQ (West Lancashire District Council) was dismissed on 27 February 2026 by Inspector Lancaster K, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location for housing with regard to the Council's spatial strategy and its access to services and facilities.
the change of use of the existing garage and workshop to a single dwelling house
- Authority
- West Lancashire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Lancaster K
- Postcode
- WN8 7UQ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development would be in a suitable location for housing with regard to the Council's spatial strategy and its access to services and facilities
What decided it
The site's unsustainable location outside the settlement boundary, lacking access to services, facilities, public transport and pedestrian infrastructure, means it cannot support residential development even under the tilted balance, as the harm from locating housing in such an unsustainable location significantly and demonstrably outweighs the benefits of housing supply.
The significant undersupply of housing (1.86 years) was afforded considerable weight, but the harm from locating an additional dwelling in an unsustainable location outside the settlement boundary, lacking services, facilities, public transport and pedestrian infrastructure, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole, so the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SP1Policy GN1Policy RS1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 83Paragraph 84Paragraph 110Paragraph 154
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.