Councillors will be advised to reject a bid to build almost 100 homes in a Preston village – just a month after they were on the verge of giving them the green light.

The proposed development, on land previously occupied by Swainson House Farm in Goosnargh, has twice been before Preston City Council’s planning committee – with the authority’s planning officers recommending approval each time, in the face of opposition from dozens of locals.

However, a decision was not reached on either occasion – and, when the blueprint for the Goosnargh Lane site goes back before committee members next week, they will find the advice they receive has changed.

The northern boundary of the Swainson House Farm site | ReLandscape

placeholder image — The northern boundary of the Swainson House Farm site | ReLandscape

The reversal is the result of the fact that council can now demonstrate it has a five-year supply of land available to meet its new housing targets – a position it was not in when the application was previously considered.

That situation had led officers to recommend granting permission for the 95-dwelling development – in spite of the fact it would be in an area designated as “open countryside”, where building is not usually permitted.

In a scenario where councils are unable to meet what is a government requirement to show they have a five-year housing land supply, there is a presumption that development should be approved – unless the downsides of doing so significantly outweigh the benefits of bridging the local shortfall in new homes.

However, since the planning committee last met on 3rd June, the city council has calculated it now has more than six-and-a-half years worth of development land available – meaning it can once again stick to its own local planning policy, which prohibits countryside estates like the one proposed for the former Swainson House Farm.

Nevertheless, it was only a quirk of fate that meant the application had not already been determined earlier this month.

After deferring a decision on the plans in April – so that they could first go to see the site for themselves – the committee was due to vote on the matter three weeks ago, when the recommendation from town hall planners remained one of approval.

However, only seven of its 11 members were present for that meeting – the lowest number allowed for the group to make a decision.

But when one of the depleted cohort, Cllr Harry Landless, declared an interest in the proposal which meant he would be unable to vote, it pushed the committee below the threshold at which it would be ‘quorate’.

That meant the application had to be deferred for a second time until the meeting scheduled for 3rd July – with the circumstances governing the assessment of the plans having changed in the meantime.

Local objections to the proposed estate included concerns over the increase in traffic it could cause and the effect it would have on the character of the area.