1,250 people object to Cuerdale Garden Village development - now see what planning officers recommend

A decision will made made next week on a huge housing, employment and Park and Ride development earmarked for Samlesbury green belt - four years after being first tabled.

Known as Cuerdale Garden Village, joint applicants, Story Homes, Parkway House and Chorley Business & Technology Park, have made an outline application with access for a development comprising:

• Up to 1,300 new homes (with half of them affordable housing)

• Up to 164,000 sqm of employment floorspace in total (Use Class B2, B8 & Class E uses)

• A new Local Centre comprising 2,000sqm retail, convenience retail, food and beverage uses.

• A new two form entry primary school and sports facilities with a 420 pupil capacity.

• A 500-space Park and Ride facility. This would incorporate a bus station and cycle parking. It is proposed that buses are rerouted through the development along Cuerdale Lane.

• Strategic Green Infrastructure – 59ha in total, including 10 football pitches and other forms of open space, woodland and natural/semi-natural green space, allotments and areas for biodiversity enhancement.

A new primary substation would also be required to deliver electricity to the site, with diversion of existing overhead power linea and cables necessary.

The whole development would be constructed over a 13-year period.

Where is the land?

The application site measures approximately 159ha and comprises five parcels of land situated north and south of the A59 Preston New Road, south of Whalley Road, north and south of Cuerdale Lane and to the east of the M6, Samlesbury. The entirety of the site is designated as Green Belt, and the land is currently in agricultural use.

Why?

In the supporting Planning Statement, the applicants argue that the proposed development “would capitalise on unprecedented opportunities to realise the sustainable economic growth of Central Lancashire, associated with the Lancashire Enterprise Zone at Samlesbury and National Cyber Force”.

They also consider that the proposal would respond to sub-regional employment needs, provide high-quality complimentary housing and associated infrastructure, and would deliver a sustainable form of development.

Objections

The proposal has attracted 1,250 representations from local residents with concerns including traffic, loss of Green Belt, impact on ecology, lack of need, and impact on local amenities.

Samlesbury and Cuerdale Parish Council have objected, citing significant extent of harm to the Green Belt, loss of farmland, related rural sector businesses alongside social and environmental harms. The council also says that the claimed benefits are overstated.

Preston City Council object on grounds that the proposal is not in conformity with the adopted Core Strategy or Submission version Central Lancashire Local Plan, it is Green Belt, and disagree with the applicant’s economic case for employment uses relating to National Cyber Force (NCF) establishment at Samlesbury.

Blackburn with Darwen Council (BwDC) disagree with the applicant’s assessment of the site as grey belt and say development of the land would have a substantial impact upon the separation between Samlesbury, Mellor Brook and Preston.

Chorley Council do not support this development proposal and consider it to be in conflict with the Central Lancashire Core Strategy 2012 Policy 1 and the emerging CLLP policies SS1and SS2.

Ribble Valley Borough Council (RVBC) object in relation to the impact upon the designated Green Belt and that the application not adequately demonstrating that it meets the test of ‘very special circumstances.’

The Campaign to Protect Rural England strongly objects to the proposal, claiming it would result in very significant harm to the Green Belt, loss of farmland and related rural sector businesses and a whole host of other social and environmental harms, including ecology and flood issues to this part of rural South Ribble.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) Highways has requested additional information before providing concluding comments, but states that in its current form, recommends that planning permission should not be granted at this stage.

LCC Education object as there is currently no confirmation regarding how the primary school site will be secured and provided. LCC require that this land is transferred at nil cost. Without confirmation of the mechanism for the provision of the required school land LCC is not clear that this development is sustainable and cannot support the application at this time.

Sport England object as the proposal is not considered to accord with the Playing Fields Policy or paragraph 98 of the NPPF or Sport England’s Planning for Sport principles for providing suitable sporting facilities.

United Utilities object until details can be provided on certain issues, including odour and asset protection.

Other objections have been submitted by the Woodland Trust and the Wildlife Trust.

What do planning officers say?

Now planning officers have compiled a report ahead of a planning committee meeting on Thursday, May 7, and they recommend the application is refused.

A report made public this week states: “The proposal is considered a departure from the adopted development plan and National Planning Policy Framework when taken as a whole, would result in significant harm to the Green Belt and undermine effective plan-making.

“Having regard to this position, the comments of statutory bodies and the following commentary, it is recommended that planning permission be refused.

“The Council has worked pro-actively with the applicant to facilitate additional time to address technical objections to the proposal, however, there remains a clear and fundamental objection to the proposed development. It is recognised that the site could deliver a substantial amount of market and affordable housing alongside employment land, to the benefit of the Borough, however these benefits would be substantially and demonstrably outweighed by the adverse effects of granting permission.”

The SRBC planning meeting will be held at 6pm on May 7 at the Civic Centre in West Paddock, Leyland. Capacity to attend will be limited, but the meeting will also be live-streamed on SRBC’s YouTube channel.