Plans to build a small housing estate on green belt land in Bolton have been turned down. K5 Holding Ltd applied to Bolton Council for permission in principle for the erection of up to nine homes on a parcel of land next to a property on Chorley Road, between the A6 Brinsop roundabout and Blackrod.
Council cites insufficient information
The council said the application site is classed as green belt and within a mineral safeguarding area for brick, clay and surface coal. A town hall planning report reads: "While a location plan has been provided, no indicative layout of the siting of the dwellings has been provided.
"When considering the size and physical constraints of the site, with trees and hedges of amenity value within and just outside of the site, insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that the site can accommodate nine dwellings without causing harm to the character and appearance of the area.
"It is considered that, based on the limited information provided by the applicant, the principle of the amount of development proposed has not been adequately established. For the reasons discussed above, it is considered that insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that the amount of development proposed would comply with local and national policies, and the application is therefore recommended for refusal."
Local council raises concerns
Westhoughton Town Council asked for refusal on the grounds that the site is designated green belt land and that no necessary impact assessments, including a traffic assessment, appeared to have been conducted.
A green belt assessment in the council planning reports states that the parcel in which the application site sits makes a strong contribution to the purpose of preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another. It states that the settlements of Horwich and Blackrod are very close, around 300 metres, and the parcel plays an essential role in preventing the merging or erosion of the visual and physical gap between these settlements.
Refusal notice published
However, the report said the proposed development occupies a very small part of the site and, together with it being bound by development to the south east and north west, and further development to the north across the A6, it is not considered to form a substantial part of the gap between towns, and its development would not result in the loss of visual separation. In the past week, the council has published a refusal notice for the plans.
