Preston poultry farm housing heading for inquiry

Plans for 95 homes at the former Johnson & Swarbrick complex on the edge of Goosnargh were rejected by the city council this summer, prompting an appeal.

Landowners Gillian Wells, Thomas Swarbrick, and Lynn Johnson have brought the appeal after the city council claimed the scheme was in contravention of its local plan.

The proposals outline the development of 62 market-rate and 33 blind tenure affordable properties across almost 11 acres. Preston City Council’s planning committee agreed with officers that the project would be “contrary to the hierarchy of locations for focusing growth and investment at urban, brownfield, and allocated sites” and lead to “unplanned expansion of a rural village”.

A statement of case for the appeal prepared for the landowners by Emery Planning agrees with the reason for refusal but claims there are other factors that weigh in favour of the application that mean the appeal should be allowed.

These include the appellant’s assertion that Preston City Council cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and the fact that the scheme would cause “no demonstratable harm”.

The application had originally been recommended for approval, due in part to Preston’s housing land supply position being fewer than five years.

However, a decision was deferred in spring and, in the intervening period, the city council updated its supply position, stating it had more than six years’ worth of sites.

As a result, the officer recommendation was changed from approval to refusal and members voted as such.

The appellant disagrees with the council’s supply position, claiming it is 4.9 years, and feels it was “misled by officers”, according to Emery’s statement of case.