Land (part Of Field) To The South Of Barnsdale Road (A639)

1. 1.The Local Planning Authority considers that the proposed development represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt which is, by definition, harmful. No very special circumstances have been demonstrated to outweigh the harm through inappropriateness and all other identified harms. As such the proposal is contrary to the aims and objectives of saved UDP Review policy N33 and policy GB6 of the National Planning Policy Framework in respect to protecting Green Belt land.
2. 2.The proposed development is located in an unsustainable location that fails to meet the accessibility standards of the Core Strategy. The site lacks safe and convenient pedestrian access to public transport, services and facilities due to the absence of footways and crossing facilities on Barnsdale Road (A639) which is a derestricted road carrying high volumes of fast-moving traffic. Future occupiers would therefore be reliant on the use of the private car for day-to-day journeys, and the proposal would prejudice pedestrian safety. As such, the proposed development is contrary to the objectives of Spatial Policy 1 and policies H2 and T2 of the Core Strategy, the saved UDP Review Merrion House 110 Merrion Centre Leeds LS2 8BB Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Refusal of Planning Permission in Principle Policy GP5 and fails to accord with policy S5 of the National Planning Policy Framework in respect of development outside settlements.
3. 3.The proposed site access arrangement would, by reason of its proximity to the existing ghost island junction serving the farm opposite on Barnsdale Road (A639), create conflicting vehicle movements and unacceptable highway safety risks on a derestricted road carrying high volumes of fast-moving traffic. The substandard junction stagger distance and non-compliant ghost island/deceleration lane arrangements cannot be satisfactorily resolved within the constraints of the site frontage. As such, safe and suitable access cannot be achieved, contrary to Core Strategy Policy T2, saved UDP Review Policy GP5, the Council's Vision Zero objectives and policies TR3 and TR4 of the National Planning Policy Framework in promoting sustainable transport.
4. 4.Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the proposed development would be safe from flooding for its lifetime, taking account of climate change, or that it would not increase flood risk elsewhere. Accordingly, the proposal is contrary to Core Strategy policy EN5, Natural Resources and Waste Local Plan policies WATER 4, WATER 6 and WATER 7, saved UDP Review policy GP5 and policies F4, F5, F6 and F7 of the National Planning Policy Framework in respect of managing flood risk.
5. 5.The application site forms part of an agricultural field and insufficient information has been submitted to establish whether the land comprises Best and Most Versatile agricultural land. As a result, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that the proposal would avoid the unnecessary loss of an important agricultural resource, contrary to saved UDP Review policy N35 and policy N5 of the National Planning Policy Framework relating to the protection of the best and most versatile agricultural land.
6. 6.The proposed residential development would be located on a greenfield site within the Green Belt that is detached from existing settlements, fails to meet the Council's accessibility standards and constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt. As such, the proposal does not accord with the spatial strategy for housing growth or the requirements of Core Strategy Spatial Policy 1 and policy H2, and the limited contribution to housing supply would not outweigh the identified harm. For information:- Merrion House 110 Merrion Centre Leeds LS2 8BB Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Refusal of Planning Permission in Principle

From the council's decision notice.

Application type

Planning Permission in Principle

Scale / size

Small

Date validated

31 July 2026

Consultation start

3 August 2026

Last date for comments

24 August 2026

Target decision date

4 September 2026

Architect profile

MHA ARCHITECTURE LIMITED

Agent address

Mr T Pringle Bethel Hall Morton Lane East Morton BD20 5UE

Statutory period

35 days

Documents

11