Ribble Valley Council hits back after inspector approves 300 homes

The pitch to build 300 homes in Langho, submitted by Hallam Land Management Ltd, was outright rejected by Ribble Valley Council’s planning committee in July, 2025, citing concerns about its impact on biodiversity and its ‘unsympathetic’ character within its countryside setting.

However, following a lengthy appeals process with the national Planning Inspectorate, the council’s decision was overturned, with the review body downgrading Ribble Valley’s fears over ’significant’ habitat loss to ‘moderate’.

In his report overruling the council, inspector G D Jones said there was one major reason to approve the development, namely that Ribble Valley’s arguments against the site had ‘limited weight’, after failing to show a five-year supply of land for housing set by the national government.

Residents of the development will have a short walk to the railway station (Image: Will Morgan)

 The council have now expressed their dismay at the ruling that was handed down in June, facilitating the next steps of the development that is bordered by a recent estate of large homes, Langho railway station, and the ever-busy A59 Longsight Road.

That was branded as ‘bonkers’ by residents using the field where the homes will be built, with dog walker Jeff, 80, sharing a common sentiment shared by people living in the village.

“I’m not a NIMBY,” he said, using the common acronym for people who oppose development, meaning ‘Not In My Back Yard’. “We need to build somewhere, but 300 houses is absolutely bonkers.”

The decades-long Lango resident pointed out a number of issues that could face the 300 families who will eventually be moved into the development, namely the lack of local amenities like a GP surgery, retail shops, and available spaces in nearby schools.

The development is taking place next door to a recent housebuilding project of around 40 homes (Image: Will Morgan)

He was also critical of some of the conditions attached to the development, such as the requirement that 20 new car parking spaces be built at the railway station before the lot is completed.

Jeff pointed out: “The people using the car park won’t even be from here. If you live in Langho or in these new houses, why would you need to drive to the station?”

Local representatives have also shared their frustration and incredulity at the ruling against Ribble Valley Council.

Councillor Lee Street, chairman of the council’s planning and development committee, slammed the housebuilding targets that had caused their decision to be overturned.

One resident pointed out that the 20 additional car parking spaces would not be used by villagers (Image: Will Morgan)

He said: “While the inspector agreed that the development would be harmful, our refusal was nevertheless overturned, which just goes to show how difficult it has become for councils to resist development.

“Increased housing targets set by the Government and the requirement to maintain sufficient land supply to meet those targets means the balance is now stacked in favour of developers and speculative development.

“The current planning system is making resisting such development increasingly difficult, with a risk of significant cost to council taxpayers when defending appeals.

“However, we will continue to work with developers and landowners as best we can to secure the best possible outcomes for our communities, including the provision of genuinely affordable housing in the right locations, with supporting infrastructure and environmental protections.”

Residents have raised concerns about accessibility issues from the railways station, and the major A59 Longsight Road (Image: Will Morgan)

However, while the council has shared its frustration, they have also admitted that they have little choice but to let the development go ahead.

Ribble Valley shared this week that, after taking legal advice, they believed there would be ‘little prospect of success’ in another appeal.

Instead, the authority has stated that planners are now ‘working at pace’ to provide evidence that they are meeting the five-year supply of housing required by the government, to prevent being overruled in future appeals.

Following this, concerned residents in the village have decided to take matters into their own hands.

The ‘Save Langho’ group has garnered more than 1,100 signatures on a petition demanding that the council mount a legal challenge against the planning inspector’s ruling.

They are also raising funds for their own challenge and displaying flyers with a warning for other borough residents: “Today it’s Langho, tomorrow it could be your village.”

The group's organiser, Jenny Gray, said: "This is about more than one planning application. Many residents are concerned about what this decision means for the future of planning in Ribble Valley and whether local planning policies and community views will continue to carry meaningful weight in future decisions."