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End in sight for planning battles
Site: Old Clay Lane
A possible end is in sight for two long running planning battles on the outskirts of Longridge.
Builders Chris Dewhurst and Alan Riding have won their appeal against Preston Council to build ten new homes on the former DJ Ryan’s site.
But an inspector has ruled travellers Lias Shaw and Lawrence Ward cannot keep horses and build stabling on land at Old Clay Lane, just a few hundred yards away from the Ryan’s site, on Inglewhite Road.
Both sites are within the parish of Whittingham, so fall under the jurisdiction of Preston Council.
Delighted to have won their appeal against Preston’s refusal of plans for Ryan’s, despite city planning officers recommending they be approved, Chris Dewhurst said: “We are pleased with the outcome... nine years later.”
He said they had waited far too long for this conclusion and claimed £1m had been tied up in the stagnant development.
“What has that cost the economy?” he added, saying detailed plans for the scheme were now being drawn up and they hoped to lodge these with the city council within the next two months.
Mr Dewhurst and Mr Riding, who have also been awarded costs against the city council, have been given the green light to demolish the existing building of the former Old Poplar Foundry and build seven detached four bedroomed houses with integral garages; one detached four bedroomed house with adjoining double garage; one detached three bedroom house with an adjacent single garage and one detached three bedroomed house with a detached double garage, subject to various conditions.
Preston Council’s planning committee turned the 10 home plan down on the grounds of lack of affordable housing provision.
Inspector Jonathan G King confirmed the main issue was whether affordable housing should be provided as part of the proposed development, taking into account national and local planning policy and the effect of its provision on the viability of the scheme.
While he said he appreciated the council’s desire to see affordable homes provided in the interests of sustainable development could not be faulted, neither, in his view, could the assessment of the proposal by the council’s officers, who, he said, properly took into account the question of viability and the significant regeneration benefits of the scheme.
He said: “The lack of affordable housing provision should rightly be considered as an adverse impact of the development.
“But having regard to the approach of the National Planning Policy Framework, to my mind it does not ‘significantly and demonstrably’ outweigh the regeneration benefits.
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Weather for Longridge
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 26 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
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