Inspector gives green light to Lancashire housing scheme

The proposals were refused by Fylde Borough Council in September last year, despite a recommendation by its planning officer that the scheme should be approved. The Council's reasons for refusal included that the scheme would be contrary to local and national policies on the provision of land for housing because it said there were more "appropriate deliverable" sites available which could secure a five year supply of housing land.

The Inspector said in his report (28-page / 251KB PDF) that the Council's planning officer had concluded that the Council could not demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable sites for housing as required under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

He said that, although the Council and the developer had arrived at differing estimates of housing land supply at the appeal inquiry, both estimates were below five years. He added that the Council's "historic undersupply" was "reflected in the need for housing that remains".

The Inspector said that it had not been shown that there were more appropriate deliverable sites available within the Borough that could secure a five year supply of housing land and that the NPPF's presumption in favour of sustainable development was therefore engaged.

"The benefits of the scheme include housing provision, a significant proportion of which would be affordable homes, along with benefits to the local economy and the environment," the Inspector said and concluded that the scheme would be sustainable.

The Council had also argued that the scheme would cause the loss of 'best and most versatile agricultural land' (BMV) contrary to local policy which provided that such development would not be permitted if it could "reasonably take place on previously developed sites, on land within the boundaries of existing developed areas, or on poorer quality agricultural land".

The Inspector acknowledged that the scheme would cause a permanent loss of areas of BMV land. However, he said he agreed with an Inspector's conclusions on a previous appeal for the site that those areas were set out within lower grades of land and that they could not be farmed as BMV land.

"Although the loss of BMV land weighs against the proposed development, evidence indicates that there are not sufficient previously developed sites, and land within settlement boundaries, to deliver the housing land supply the Borough needs," he said. He concluded that the development of the areas of BMV land on the site was "necessary and acceptable within the context of the identified need".