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209 Eskdale Tanhouse Skelmersdale Lancashire WN8 6ED

2026/0037/FULFull Planning ApplicationRefused
Full

Refused on 20 March 2026

Council decision: Planning Permission REFUSEDDelegated (officer decision)2 reasons for refusal

Approximate site (title boundary)
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details

This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.

Proposal

Proposed change to a children's home caring for children aged 8-18.

Received
20 January 2026
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Ward
Tanhouse & Skelmersdale Town Centre Ward
  1. Received20 Jan
  2. Validated23 Jan
  3. Consult.18 Feb
  4. Target
  5. Decided20 Mar

Decided in 56 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application at 209 Eskdale Tanhouse Skelmersdale Lancashire WN8 6ED. West Lancashire has handled 1,159 applications of this type. This one was decided in 59 days, 3 days longer than West Lancashire's typical decision time. There has been 1 other application at this address. In the past year there have been 17 applications across Tanhouse & Skelmersdale Town Centre Ward. We hold 347 applications in total for the WN8 postcode area.

87% of full applications at West Lancashire Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. 1.The proposal does not adequately demonstrate a clear local need for the specific use at this location, as required by national and local planning policy. Paragraph 63 of the Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (December 2024) stipulates that the size, type, and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community must be assessed and evidenced. The applicant has not provided sufficient evidence of local demand for additional children's homes in the area, nor has it demonstrated that the proposal would meet the specific needs of looked-after children within the local authority area. Additionally, the failure to engage meaningfully with key local stakeholders, such as Lancashire Commissioning Group and Lancashire County Council's Children's Services, further undermines the application. Consequently, the proposal would not contribute to the creation of mixed and balanced communities, as sought by national policy, and would not address an identified local need, contrary to Paragraph 63 of the Revised NPPF and Policies GN3 and IF2 of the West Lancashire Local Plan.
  2. The potential number of vehicles associated with the proposed change of use cannot be adequately accommodated within the application site at all times. On-street parking in this location would result in adverse impacts on pedestrian and highway safety and the proposal therefore conflicts with the NPPF and Policies GN3 and IF2 in the West Lancashire Local Plan 2012 - 2027 Development Plan Document.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
WN8 6ED
Application type
Full Planning Application
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
23 January 2026
Consultation expiry
19 February 2026
Consultation start
28 January 2026
Consultation end
18 February 2026
Neighbour consultation start
27 January 2026
Neighbour consultation end
19 February 2026

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-14615661
Documents
14

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: conservation areas, Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, green belt, 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: West Lancashire

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