Plans to convert Bolton-by-Bowland barns into home approved

Ribble Valley Borough Council has granted planning permission for the conversion of twin barns at Fooden Hall Farm, on Gisburn Road, Bolton-by-Bowland, creating two new dwellings alongside wider restoration and landscaping work.

The scheme, submitted by Stephen Dent of CWS Farms Ltd, also includes the removal of derelict farmyard buildings and the restoration of the surrounding landscape.

Planning documents said the barns are structurally sound and can be converted into two-storey homes largely within their existing footprint, with only a limited number of new openings required to meet building regulations and accommodate internal floor levels.

The barn in Bolton-by-Bowland (Image: Willcock Consulting)

The site forms part of a small hamlet at Fooden Hall Farm and includes existing homes, holiday accommodation, a stone yard and a caravan site.

Under the approved plans, existing door and window openings will be reused where possible, while a concrete-block extension will be rebuilt in natural stone to match the character of the barn.

Parking for the new homes will be provided in an area previously used for storing farm vehicles and screened by existing stone walls.

The application also proposed keeping garden areas compact to avoid what planners described as the "over-domestication" of the rural setting.

As part of the development, redundant sheds and clutter within the farmyard will be removed, with landscaping and planting intended to return parts of the site to a more natural appearance.

The barns stand next to Fooden Hall, a Grade II* listed farmhouse that has remained vacant and in poor condition since the death of its previous occupant.

Planning documents argued that bringing the barns back into use, tidying the farmyard and restoring the surrounding landscape would improve the setting of the historic hall and support its eventual sale and restoration.

A heritage assessment submitted with the application described the impact on the listed building's setting as "minor" and said the public benefits of investment in the site would outweigh any harm.

The council's approval is subject to a series of conditions, including the demolition of identified derelict farm buildings before the homes are occupied, the use of traditional materials and timber windows and doors, landscaping works, biodiversity measures and archaeological recording of the historic structures before development begins.

Developers must also secure any necessary protected species licences and submit biodiversity gain, drainage and landscaping plans to the council before work can proceed.

The development must begin within three years of the permission being granted.