Nine new homes could be created in Green Belt by converting Hutton business units off Lindle Lane

Ian Ashton has applied for the change of use at Lindle Business Park, Lindle Lane, Hutton, the home of QED Construction, where he is listed as a director.

The site

The site is located within Green Belt and is accessed from Lindle Lane and is the former Lancashire County Council Countryside Services Depot.

Currently there are two larger L-shaped buildings which house the offices for QED Construction. These are on the east side of the site, with parking located to the west of the buildings.

Proposed development

It's proposed to convert the two large L-shaped buildings into residential dwellings.

Internally, the buildings would be broken down into nine units. Building 1, to the north, includes two three-bed units, and two two-bed units. Building 2, to the south, includes two one-bed two two-bed units and one three-bed unit.

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A planning statement says: "The buildings are to be kept intact and are capable of being converted to residential dwellings without any major alterations to the external form of the buildings.

"Some changes to the building include the addition of doors where windows currently exist to create entrances for the new units. Additionally, skylight windows are to be created in the roof of both buildings."

There would be 23 parking spaces provided.

History

In 2015, a pre-application submission was sent to South Ribble Borough Council for the conversion of office buildings into six three-bed dwellings and erection of two four-bed detached dwellings.

At that time it was determined that the level of increase in floorspace and volume would be detrimental to the openness of the Green Belt, and as such would be inappropriate development.

What's the argument now?

In the planning statment, an agent for Mr Ashton says: "As the proposal reuses a brownfield site, converting the buildings themselves which are of permanent and substantial construction, is not inappropriate development within the Green Belt."

They continue: "As the site is not allocated or acknowledged within the Employment Land calculations for South Ribble, its loss would be immaterial to the supply of office space within the borough.

They add that traffic from the site would be reduced and there would be an “improvement in residential amenity for those dwellings close to the site."