Greenbelt road rejected for Hoghton housing estate

However, residents who objected to the proposal were warned that they should “get used” to the idea that housebuilding will come to the area at some point.

Chorley Council’s development control committee refused the application for nine detached houses to the south of The Straits and Station Road.

A meeting heard that the applicant, Brook View Developments Ltd, had not demonstrated the “very special circumstances” which are required for development in the greenbelt to be permitted.

Louise Leyland, speaking on behalf of the developer, said the site was already in a “semi-urban location”.

“We would ask members to consider what harm will result from development of the access track.

“We have designed [it] to ensure that it will have minimal impact on openness – it would be lit by low-level bollards, as opposed to tall streetlights,” she said.

But local resident Helen Morton told committee members that they would be setting a precedent if they allowed the development to go ahead.

“If approved, it would open up the possibility for further applications for development on greenbelt land along Hoghton Lane.

“Nine houses are not going to solve any perceived housing shortage or justify the loss of greenbelt.

“Houses in Hoghton can stay on the market for long periods of time. Just because there has been limited development in recent years does not mean that there is a need for housing,” Ms Morton added.

Committee members agreed with the recommendations of planning officers to refuse the application, but Coun Martin Boardman warned locals that a similar proposal was likely to be passed at some point in the future.

“[With] this land being in the settlement area, residents have got to get used to the fact that at some point, [a proposal] will come forward again,” Coun Boardman said.