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Land East Of Holmfield Holmeswood Road Rufford Lancashire

2026/0085/PIPPermission in PrincipleRefused
Outline / PiP

Refused on 21 May 2026

Council decision: Permission in Principle RefusedPermission in Principle3 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

Application for Permission in Principal - Proposed erection of up to 9 no. dwellings.

Received
3 February 2026
Decision level
Permission in Principle
Ward
Burscough Bridge & Rufford Ward
  1. Received3 Feb
  2. Validated3 Feb
  3. Consult.12 May
  4. Target
  5. Decided21 May

Decided in 107 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is an outline application at Land East Of Holmfield Holmeswood Road Rufford Lancashire. West Lancashire has handled 316 applications of this type. This one was decided in 107 days, 7 weeks longer than West Lancashire's typical decision time. The site is in a conservation area. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 136 applications across Burscough Bridge & Rufford Ward.

76% of outline 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. The proposed development constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt that would have an adverse impact on the openness of the Green Belt and result in encroachment into the countryside. The development would be contrary to Policy GN1 of the West Lancashire Local Plan (2012-2027), the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Supplementary Planning Document 'Development in the Green Belt' (Oct 2015). No very special circumstances have been demonstrated which would outweigh the harm caused.
  2. The proposed development is located on Grade 1 agricultural land and would result in the unjustified loss of such land. On that basis the proposal is contrary to Policy EN2 of the West Lancashire Local Plan (2012-2027) and the National Planning Policy Framework.
  3. The proposed development would not be considered efficient use of land in terms of density and would not be in keeping with the density of development within the immediate vicinity. No demonstration of any special circumstances of which apply to this site have been submitted. The proposed development is contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework and Policy RS1 of the West Lancashire Local Plan (2012- 2027).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Application type
Permission in Principle
Scale / size
Small
Parish
Rufford

Planning application dates

Date validated
3 February 2026
Consultation expiry
12 May 2026
Consultation start
21 April 2026
Consultation end
12 May 2026
Neighbour consultation start
5 February 2026
Neighbour consultation end
28 February 2026

Applicant and agent

Applicant
Private applicant
Agent address
311 Hesketh Lane Tarleton Preston Lancashire PR4 6RJ

Planning decision

Case officer
Kate Turner

Additional information

Documents
86

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Flood zone 3: High probability (rivers and sea)Part of the site
  • Green belt: West Lancashire

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 (20)

flood storage 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: West Lancashire

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