Plans for 9 homes in rural Lancashire parish rejected

The proposal sought permission in principle for the erection of up to nine dwellings on land to the east of Lytham Road, Bryning-with-Warton.

The site sits next to the roundabout linking Lytham Road, the A584 Freckleton Bypass and Nectar Drive.

The site in 2015 (left) and in 2025 (right) (Image: Fylde Council)

Fylde Council refused the application for two reasons.

Officers said the scheme would result in a housing density of around 18 homes per hectare, significantly below the council's minimum expectation of 30 dwellings per hectare, meaning it would not make efficient use of the land.

However, the council's main concern centred on flood risk.

Although the site is currently within Flood Zone 1, officers concluded it is at risk from future river flooding linked to climate change and from surface water flooding both now and in the future.

The application was accompanied by a flood risk assessment and a sequential test intended to demonstrate there were no more suitable sites available at lower flood risk.

A view of the proposed site (Image: Google)

But officers found the test had not been adequately applied and said the applicant had failed to show that alternative sites could not accommodate the proposed development.

A report prepared for the council noted Fylde currently has only 4.35 years of housing land supply, meaning national planning policy supports additional housing in some circumstances.

Officers accepted the site was in a sustainable location close to shops, services and public transport links in Warton and Freckleton.

However, they concluded the benefits of the development were outweighed by conflicts with policies relating to flooding and land use.

The report states the site is currently open green space on the eastern edge of Warton and remains designated countryside under the Fylde Local Plan.

Despite the refusal, several consultees raised no objections.

Bryning with Warton Parish Council submitted comments stating it had "no objection" to the proposal.

Natural England also raised no objection, concluding the development would not have significant adverse impacts on protected sites including the Ribble and Alt Estuaries and Morecambe Bay designated habitats.

The Environment Agency said it had no comments to make on the application, while Lancashire County Council Highways neither supported nor objected to the plans.

Highway officers noted access details would need to be resolved at a later stage and warned that a proposed new spur road from the roundabout "may not be achieved".

Four letters of objection were submitted by members of the public.

Concerns included traffic congestion and highway safety at the roundabout, the loss of a greenfield site, biodiversity impacts, construction disruption and whether existing housing allocations should be delivered before further land is developed.

Fylde Council formally refused permission in principle on September 25.