Plans for "odd" Preston housing development are rejected

Preston City Council’s planning committee rejected the bid to reconfigure the Sand Bank Estate off Cumeragh Lane in Whittingham.

The scheme would have seen the four existing units and a lone residential property demolished and ten new industrial units built on adjoining agricultural land in an area of open countryside.

The cleared space would then have been made available for a development of 10 self-build properties accessed from Ashley Lane.

Sand Bank’s owner of 19 years, Bill Hayhurst, told committee members that the existing buildings needed replacing - and his plan was the only way of achieving that while protecting his business.

“We are unable to build the [new] units in their current location without causing major disruption to existing tenants, who would likely move away to alternative premises.

“We have therefore proposed to build new units on the land adjacent and, once complete, our existing tenants would be able to relocate and stay with us.

“The investment that we are making in the new units will be significant - and therefore leaving this [cleared] brownfield site empty is not an option [for] us,” Mr. Hayhurst said.

However, committee member David Borrow suggested that the plan sought to benefit from the brownfield status of the already-developed land - and that if the proposal was to put the houses where the new industrial units were to be located, it would likely be refused.

“Can you understand why some people might think that is gaming the system?” he asked.

He later added: “ It’s just the most odd place to build a residential state - at the end of lane...with no pavements and inadequate street lighting.”

According to papers presented to the committee, there are no footpaths on Ashley Lane - one of two possible routes residents would take on foot to Longridge to go shopping - while the other, Cumeragh Lane, is unlit for part of its length.

Planning officers concluded that it would encourage car use, while committee member Peter Moss blasted the fact that it was 920 metres from the proposed development to the nearest bus stop.

Lancashire County Council highways officers said that their concerns over lighting - as well as ensuring good visibility at the entrance to the housing estate - remained outstanding even after the submission of additional information from the applicant.

The agent for the application, Rachel Leather, said the proposal was based on advice taken from a transport consultant and that she believed the matters could have been “overcome”, if there had been time for further discussions with County Hall.

She also claimed that a Central Lancashire housing study last year supported the view that there was greater demand for self-build housing in the area than shown in the official council registers where people express their interest - and that the proposed development, 35 percent of which would be classed as affordable, would help meet that need.

Currently, there are just two individuals indicating that they are interested in self-build plots in the Preston City Council area.

The hybrid application - seeking full permission for the industrial estate and outline approval for the housing - was unanimously rejected.