Council's dismay over plans to build 300 houses in open countryside

Ribble Valley Borough Council has expressed dismay after a planning inspector overturned its refusal of plans to build 300 houses in open countryside.

The Government has given the go-ahead for the houses to be built on land off the A59 near Northcote Manor following a planning appeal.

The council refused the development last June on the grounds that it was outside the settlement boundary, would have a harmful impact on the surrounding landscape and result in a loss of habitat.

But although a planning inspector concluded that the development would have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area, he said the benefits would outweigh the harm.

Councillor Lee Street, chairman of the council’s planning and development committee, said: “While the inspector agreed that the development would be harmful, our refusal was nevertheless overturned, which just goes to show how difficult it has become for councils to resist development.

“Increased housing targets set by the Government and the requirement to maintain sufficient land supply to meet those targets means the balance is now stacked in favour of developers and speculative development.

“The current planning system is making resisting such development increasingly difficult, with a risk of significant cost to council taxpayers when defending appeals.

“However, we will continue to work with developers and landowners as best we can to secure the best possible outcomes for our communities, including the provision of genuinely affordable housing in the right locations, with supporting infrastructure and environmental protections.”

The council’s director of economic development and planning, Nicola Hopkins, praised the efforts of her planning team in challenging the proposed development.

"We vigorously defended our refusal, but the inspector concluded that the benefits of delivering housing outweighed the identified harm.

“I would like to thank my planning team, who pulled out the stops to defend our position and are dismayed at this outcome.”