Land and Building off Salt Pit Lane, Chorley, L40 2QX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development with regard to: whether the proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt; the effect on the openness of the Green Belt; whether the amount of development would make efficient use of land; and whether any harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to very special circumstances

What decided it

The site's location in an unsustainable position, too far from services and facilities to be reasonably accessible other than by car, combined with the harmful effect on Green Belt openness and failure to make efficient use of land, meant that the very special circumstances required to justify inappropriate Green Belt development did not exist.

The substantial weight given to harm caused by inappropriateness and harm to openness was not clearly outweighed by the modest contribution to housing supply, as the proposal would be in an unsustainable location and fail to make efficient use of land, so adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh benefits