Major Lancashire housing scheme won on appeal
Developer Hallam Land Management has successfully appealed Fylde Borough Council’s failure to determine its application for the demolition of existing buildings and the provision of up to 360 homes on land at Blackfield End Farm, Church Road, Warton, in Lancashire on time.
The case was recovered for determination by the Communities Secretary. The Secretary of State agreed with the inspector who held the inquiry that the scheme should go ahead.
Part of the 13-hectare site for the scheme is in green belt, but the proposals allocated to this part of the project were as open space rather than built development.
The appeal site includes land on each side of Church Road which abuts the northern edge of the built-up area of Warton. The adjacent part of the settlement is predominantly residential. But the scheme will be close to extensive aircraft manufacturing works operated by BAE Systems.
These facilities are at Warton Aerodrome which is part of the Lancashire Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Enterprise Zone.
Clark’s decision letter said that “although the proposed development would represent an extension of the built up area [of Warton], it represents a sustainable form of development which will provide much-needed housing and which accords with the policies of the National Planning Policy framework taken as a whole”.
He agreed with the inspector that the scheme did not represent premature development in respect of both the emerging local plan and neighbourhood plan. Clark also acknowledged that the planning authority did not have a five-year supply of housing land.
The decision letter noted that the local authority and developer had agreed to revise the structure of the section 106 agreement in respect of education provision in response to new rules restricting the use of pooled infrastructure contributions.
Roger Milne
Planning Portal Blog 