Cowells Farm Cuerdale Lane Samlesbury Preston Lancashire PR5 0UY
Refused on 8 May 2026
Council decision: Refusal10 reasons for refusal
Proposal
Outline planning application (with all matters reserved) for an employment-led mixed use development comprising up to 177,500 sqm of employment floorspace (Use Class B2 / B8), up to 10,000 sqm of C1 Hotels, 1,000 sqm of Class E(b) retail use, with associated car parking, service yards and loading bays, landscaping and associated access across 3 plots of land at Cuerdale, land to the West of Samlesbury, South Ribble
- Received
- 16 January 2023
- Council
- South Ribble Borough Council
- Ward
- Samlesbury and Walton
- ReceivedReceived16 Jan
- ValidatedValidated16 Jan
- Consult.Consultation
- TargetTarget Date
- DecidedDecided8 May
Decided in 1208 days
About this application
This is a planning application at Cowells Farm Cuerdale Lane Samlesbury Preston Lancashire PR5 0UY. South Ribble has handled 3,874 applications of this type. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 60 applications across Samlesbury and Walton. We hold 853 applications in total for the PR5 postcode area.
Why it was refused
- The proposed development is contrary to the adopted and emerging spatial strategy for Central Lancashire. The proposal would prejudice the delivery of employment and mixed-use development on allocated sites, would be in an unstainable location, and would have the potential to impact on the regeneration of the city and town centres by focusing employment and main town centre uses outside of these areas, contrary to Policy 1 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and Policy SS1 of the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan.
- The proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt, results in harm to purposes a), b) and c) of Green Belt and harm to its openness. No very special circumstances exist to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt by virtue of inappropriateness and other harm resulting from the proposal. The proposed development is therefore contrary to paragraphs 142, 143 and 153 of the National Planning Policy Framework and Policy G1 of the South Ribble Local Plan.
- The substantial extent, scale and cumulative effect of the proposal would be so significant, that to grant planning permission would undermine the plan-making process of the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan, which is at an advanced stage, by pre-determining decisions about the scale, location and phasing of development that are central to the Plan. To grant planning permission would prejudice the outcome of the plan-making process, contrary to paragraph 50 and the overarching aims of the National Planning Policy Framework and undermine public confidence in plan-making.
- By reason of its scale, layout and degree of permanence, the proposal would result in an adverse urbanizing influence on the landscape resulting in substantial harm to landscape character and resources contrary to Central Lancashire Core Strategy Policy 21 and Paragraph 135 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
- By virtue of its proposed height and scale, the development would fail to respect its rural setting, with consequent detriment to the visual amenity of the area, contrary to paragraph 135 of the NPPF, Policy 17 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and Policy G17 of the South Ribble Local Plan.
- In respect of the sequential test requirements for main town centre uses, the applicant has failed to provide sufficient assessment of whether there are available and suitable sites in sequentially preferable locations contrary to Central Lancashire Core Strategy Policies 11 and paragraphs 91 and 95 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
- Insufficient information has been provided to assess the impacts of the development on archaeology. Due to the absence of intrusive evaluation works, it is not possible to determine the likely effects on archaeology, as the nature, significance and extent of any archaeological remains is unknown, contrary to Policy 16 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and paragraphs 207 and 218 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
- Insufficient information has been provided to enable a full and proper assessment of the highways impact of the proposals. In the absence of this information, the development would prejudice highway safety and the free flow of traffic contrary to Policy G17 of the South Ribble Local Plan and paragraph 115 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
- Insufficient information has been provided to enable a full and proper assessment of the site's Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) and consequently any potential harm arising from its loss, contrary to Policy 31 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and Policy EN16 of the Central Lancashire Local Plan.
- In the absence of an infrastructure phasing and delivery strategy for the entire application site, and justification for the proposed non-mains foul drainage system, insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that the site would be appropriately served with foul water infrastructure and an adequate water supply to support the employment premises proposed, contrary to Policy 29 in the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and National Planning Practice Guidance on Water Supply, wastewater and water quality.
From the council's decision notice.
Application details
- Postcode
- PR5 0UY
- Parish
- Samlesbury Parish Council
Planning application dates
- Date validated
- 16 January 2023
Planning decision
- Case officer
- Olivia Pemberton
Site constraints
Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.
- Green belt: South Ribble
- Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Not published by this council, so not checked: Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.
Also checked, none recorded (21)
flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.
A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.
Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences
Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.
© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source: South Ribble
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