Hundreds of new homes could be approved during Preston City Council’s latest planning committee.
Councillors meet on Thursday (6 December) to consider the latest outline and full planning applications from developers for the city.
A total of 501 new homes could be approved, either with full permission or outline planning permission (a first stage of the process).
Preston’s lack of being able to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing, due to a change in the government formula for the calculation, has opened the floodgates to additional building in the city.
Here’s all the plans due for discussion on Thursday and what they involve across the six planning applications listed:
Graham Anthony Associates have lodged plans on behalf of Mr Stoke and Mrs Massey for 58 new homes, a public open space and a new access road in Higher Bartle.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval at Bridge House.
A previous scheme for the site was refused in January 2017 because it would increase traffic to the new East-West Link Road due to run through the area and also be ‘piecemeal development’ compared to the city council’s North West Preston Masterplan.
The scheme would create a new access point on the eastern side of Tabley Lane, immediately north of Bridge House, to be able to access the three hectares of agricultural land which would be built on.
Woodplumpton Parish Council have objected to the proposals on the grounds of highway safety.
Another development in Grimsargh would be built between the village’s recreation ground and Whittingham Lane.
The site is defined as open countryside and outlined in the city’s local plan as an ‘area of separation’ between Grimsargh, Preston and Longridge.
Seddon Homes have applied to build 70 new homes on the land, citing approval of another development to the north of Whittingham Lane and a new homes and care home facility to the south along Preston Road.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval providing a Section 106 agreement can be reached.
Objections come from Grimsargh Parish Council, Haighton Parish Council and 20 letters of objection from members of the publc have all been received. They outline concerns with the size of the development, the level of traffic in the area and the losing of the separation between the city and Grimsargh.
Read more: Final stage for major Grimsargh homes development
Emery Planning Partnership have applied to build 111 new homes on land behind 126A Whittingham Lane, Broughton, for a Mr A Bradshaw.
Planning officers say the proposals should be approved provided 35 per cent of the homes are classed as affordable and a contribution from the developers is made towards school places and road funding in the area.
The outline planning application follows in the footsteps of a 4.5 hectare planning application to the north of the Whittingham Lane site which was approved for 101 new homes. This was approved in September this year.
Preston North and Wyre MP Ben Wallace leads the objections, alongside both Goosnargh and Whittingham Parish Councils.
He says the development is not allocated in the city’s local plan and it is unsustainable development.
138 letters of objection have been sent in from 107 households, mainly in Broughton, calling for the development to be halted.
Broughton recently voted for a new neighbourhood plan in a referendum, but council officers state only a third of the site falls within the area covered by the plan and it does not contain any specific policy on the site.
Read more: New executive housing development planned for Broughton
This proposal for 145 new homes is further along Whittingham Lane towards Goosnargh.
Gladman Homes want to build a new access road off the lane to serve the new development.
Council officers again recommend the outline scheme for approval once a Section 106 agreement, for community facilities, and an affordable housing level have both been reached.
The access road would be opposite 780 Whittingham Lane.
Objections have been raised by the Council for the Protection of Rural England who say the new homes would ‘further threaten land in the countryside’. They argue the city’s five-year supply figures should be re-calculated based on recent planning appeal decisions.
More than 300 letters of objective have been received, along with objections from Ben Wallace MP, Whittingham Parish Council and Goosnargh Parish Council.
Land off Halfpenny Lane in the village has been identified for 52 new homes.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme, which would involve building a new pumping station and knocking down 20 Halfpenny Lane, for approval.
It comes with the caveat of securing a Section 106 deal with MCI Developments and Places for People.
A mix of two-bed, three-bed and four-bed properties of both detached, terraced and semi-detached style would be built.
Lancashire County Council’s highways department has raised its concerns about the scheme because of the additional traffic it would add to the A6 corridor.
Preston Rural North councillor Lona Smith has objected to the scheme, saying ‘it would destroy the rural area’. 10 letters of objection have been received against the development.
Read more: Are all the new housing developments in Preston a good thing or a bad thing?
A smaller development off Whittingham Lane behind two cottages has erupted in hundreds of objections.
Sentantii Holdings wants to build 65 new homes behind Goosnargh Cottage and Chingle Hall Cottage.
Another 300 or more letters of objection have been received at the Town Hall against the development.
Nicky Machin from the Goosnargh and Whittingham Against Overdevelopment campaign group said: “We are utterly appalled at Preston City Council Planning Department’s fundamentally flawed decision to recommend all of these major scale applications for approval at committee level.
“With support from Goosnargh and Whittingham Parish Councils, MP Ben Wallace and Campaign to Protect Rural England, we will be in attendance at the committee meeting to represent the residents of Goosnargh and Whittingham, the 550 members of our Facebook group and all those who took the time to submit objection letters, and to speak against these speculative applications.”
What do you think about the developments in Preston? Let us know your views in the comments below