Richborough secures Clitheroe consent
Ribble Valley Council has given outline approval for up to 200 homes off Pendle Road, close to the strategic expansion area of Standen.
Savills is working as planning advisor with land promoter Richborough on the Lancashire project.
The approval was secured within five months, following validation of the application in January. Richborough’s plans include 30% affordable housing, public open spaces including play areas, and active travel routes, while retaining long-distance views to Pendle Hill and the Forest of Bowland national landscape.
Connor Wigley, planning manager (North), at Richborough, said: “This is an inherently sustainable site on the edge of the authority’s key settlement for growth.
“Our proposals provide a high-quality scheme at the gateway to Clitheroe that will integrate any future development positively into its surroundings. It was great to see this acknowledged by members and reflected in their unanimous vote in favour of the application”.
Close to Clitheroe Grammar School’s playing fields on the south-eastern edge of Clitheroe, the site sits north of Pendle Road, on the opposite side of that road from the Taylor Wimpey-led 1,040-home Higher Standen masterplan area.
That scheme now has two phases fully occupied, phase three half-full and phase four under construction, with two further phases to come.
A further 124 homes in a scheme called Highmoor Park have outline consent.
With this part of the Clitheroe designated as a strategic expansion area, those wider development aspirations mean that local services including retail, employment space and a pub are in the works, while a new primary school has now opened.
Recommending approval for the Richborough application on condition of a Section 106 agreement, officers said that local services within Clitheroe are easily reachable, summing up that the scheme represents sustainable development contributing towards the five-year supply.
Matt Dawber, director at Savills, said: “It is fantastic to get a unanimous vote in favour at planning committee. It is a testament to the hard work of the consultant team and the positive and proactive working relationship that Richborough has sought to cultivate Ribble Valley’s officers to ensure a high-quality development for Clitheroe.”
The professional team also includes Pegasus Group, working on design and landscape, SEED Arboriculture, Ridge, RPS, and BWB Consulting.
Documents relating to the application can be seen on Ribble Valley’s planning portal, reference 3/2025/1006.
Clitheroe is ruined already. I am so glad I am at such an age where I will not see the total concrete jungle that will be the town and green fields gone.
By Anonymous
Close to becoming, Clitheroe with Chatburn and Barrow
By Stewy
Totally agree no consideration for existing house holders, where are the people coming from to fill these houses, all from out of town.ribble valley council will have been told they have to allow the development ,talk about global warming let’s move all these people from where the employment areas are. To clitheroe to add to the already oversized town we live in. Talk about democratic government, when we are over ruled without any consultation of the existing population of clitheroe
By Anonymous
A once beautiful Ribble Valley now trashed even further with more modern slums. Very sad you will not be happy until you have covered this once lovely part of the world with poor domestic dumps and further polluted it with thousands more toxic cars. A disgrace, are you all corrupt. Anyway you will get what you deserve an overcrowded polluted slum area which it is quickly becoming. Just to think l fancied living there once, glad I didn’t. Global pollution is welcome in the Ribble Valley bring your 3 cars per new house today. The joke is on you all
By John Matthews
A once nice town ruined with all the new house building
By Anonymous
Schools are full, Doctors are full, Dentists are full, traffic is gridlocked. Ribble Valley is ruined!!!!!
By Anonymous
Let’s hope during the dig they find all my treasure and burial ground I left not far from the Roman road…
By Ron the Roman
Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley has been ruined by it’s own borough council who are there to protect it
By Anonymous
This latest example of a unilateral, one dimensional planning policy – in advance of the publication of revised proposals for a new Core Strategy Development Plan, is actually a testimony to the complete absence of a co-ordinated planning and development policy. Another sad day for the ancient Parish of Clitheroe.
By Steve Burke