Agenda item

Planning permission refused.

Speakers:  Agent for the objector – Chris Weetman, Parish Councillor – Harold Heaton (Charnock Richard Parish Council), Ward Councillor – Councillor Paul Leadbetter, applicant’s agent – Dan Mitchell

RESOLVED (unanimously) - That the planning permission be refused on the grounds that the impact of the development would cause significant harm to the openness of the surrounding area and the benefits of the development would not outweigh the harm.  That harm was significant to warrant refusal and that the framing of the reason for refusal be passed to officers in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Development Control Committee and be recorded in the minutes for the meeting. 

The Chair and Vice Chair subsequently agreed the following reason for refusal and in accordance with the resolution above this reason is recorded below:

1.    The Chair and Vice Chair subsequently agreed the following reason for refusal and in accordance with the resolution above this reason is recorded below: The proposed development is not small scale or limited to appropriate infilling, conversion of buildings or meeting local need and is therefore contrary, in the absence of exceptional reasons for the large scale redevelopment proposed, to Policy 1 of the Adopted Central Lancashire Core Strategy and the spatial vision that underlies it. The proposed development would also have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt and the purpose of including land within in than the existing development on that part of the site that is previously developed and would therefore be inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Substantial weight attaches to the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness and further harm arising here by reason of the impact of the proposed development on the openness of the Green Belt. The benefits associated with the proposed development would not clearly outweigh the harm resulting and therefore constitute, individually or cumulatively, very special circumstances required if inappropriate development is to be approved in the Green Belt in accordance with paragraph 88 of the National Planning Policy Framework (‘the Framework’). The presumption in favour of sustainable development set out at paragraph 14 of the Framework is not considered, for these reasons, to apply to the proposed development.