Planning Statement to demonstrate very special
circumstances for development at
Manor House Farm
Tottleworth
Blackburn
On behalf of
Mr Andrew Swale
Resubmission of refused application 11/11/0350
Contents
1. Outline Description of the Application
2. Background and Reason for Application
3. Site Appraisal
4. Economic & Environmental Benefits
5. Policy
6. Conclusion
1.1 This application is the resubmission of a refused application for the scheme
being applied for. The original application was refused on the following
grounds:-
1.2 The proposed building would be of a size, design and appearance that would
cause harm to the openness and visual amenities of the Green Belt. The
proposal would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt and
no special circumstances have been advanced by the applicant to justify the
harm that would be caused to the Green Belt. For these reasons the
proposal does not accord with saved Policies E10, S7 and Appendix Two of
the Hyndburn Borough Local Plan, Polices Env1, Env6 & Env7 of the
Hyndburn Core Strategy, and national policy advice in the form of PPS1 &
PPG2.
1.3 The proposed building sits within the existing built environment of the farm
yard, partially on the footprint of a former walled muck midden, which is
currently used for a car park to service the existing livery business. It is
excessive in size for this purpose, so to utilise part of it for the proposed
stable building is reasonable and does not cause any interference to the
current arrangements.
Background and reason for application
2.1 Manor House Farm has been tenanted by the applicant and his father before
him for many years, having been a pedigree dairy cattle farm. The applicant
embarked on a farm diversification scheme in 2000.
Planning permission was granted in April 2000, and the current business was
established as a result of this permission.
The existing facilities on the livery side of the farm business provides 33 stables
in total, 27 being let out to paying customers, and the remaining 6 stables being
used by the applicants for their own horses.
2.2 There is currently a second application, as yet undetermined, for an
agricultural livestock and storage building to accommodate the applicant’s
pedigree dairy cattle breeding herd, and general farm machinery / hay and straw.
The applicant has been proposing to improve the cattle side of the business for
some time, and the agricultural building currently being applied for is the
resubmission of a lapsed approval, from August 2007.
2.3 As in all businesses, expansion and improvement are governed by finances,
and although Mr Swale has been intending to proceed with these plans for some
time, it has only recently become a viable financial option. To this end he feels
that he must up grade the existing agricultural and equine related facilties on the
farm. The business plan is to use the profits from the livery business to fund the
expansion and up grading of the agricultural element, as the livery provides an
instant steady cash flow, compared to the agricultural enterprise which is a
longer process leading to the end result.
2.4 Due to the excellent facilties at Manor House Farm livery yard, there is
currently a waiting list of 30 horses (mostly in multiples of two owned by the
same client). These are from the local area, and have a desire to use the facilties
at the site. The potential to accommodate these is partly covered by this
application, it would also provide local employment, as the need for full livery is
in high demand.
Site Appraisal
3.1 The site lies in the rural area to the south of the hamlet of Tottleworth,
within the recently allocated conservation area. It is not visible from any nearby
roads, and lies at a lower level than the surrounding properties.
3.2 The actual location of the proposed stable building is at the lowest level on
the farm yard, it is slightly higher than the fence line of the adjacent sand
paddock (1.6m higher), and in relation to the proposed agricultural building is it
significantly subordinate. There are mature trees to the west of the proposal,
screening it from view of the hamlet, and the existing built environment to the
south. Indeed the applicant would not be averse to screening the proposal further
to the north.
3.3 The proposed building is not in the form of traditional stables of wooden
construction, but in an American Barn type building which very closely
resembles a modern agricultural building, sitting well in the agricultural
environs of the general area.
Economic & Environmental Benefits
4.1 This proposal is to provide additional means of income for the
applicant, and as a farm diversification project it works well for the unit as
a whole, in that the livery element provides a steady income to fund the
injection of funds into the agricultural enterprise. In addition it provides
benefits to the local community in the form of employment of grooms,
local horse feed companies, vets, blacksmiths, tack and equipment sales
etc etc.
The ideals of a thriving local community expressed in Hyndburn’s Core
Strategy are met well by this proposal in many ways.
5. National Policy
PPG2 outlines development constraints for Green Belt land. When it comes to
new buildings, paragraph 3.4 states that the construction of new buildings
inside a Green Belt is inappropriate unless it is for the following purposes:



agriculture and forestry
essential facilities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation, for
cemeteries, and for other uses of land which preserve the openness of
the Green Belt and which do not conflict with the purposes of including
land in it
limited extension, alteration or replacement of existing dwellings


limited infilling in existing villages and limited affordable housing for
local community needs under development plan policies according with
PPG3
limited infilling or redevelopment of major existing developed sites
identified in adopted local plans
It is believed that the rural nature of the application in question is covered
under essential facilities for outdoor sports, especially in this case as it sits
well in the existing diversification alongside the agricultural activities..
The proposed development also meets national policy requirements in
that it will help to “retain attractive landscapes, and enhance
landscapes, near to where people live” through the nature of business
they specialise in.
Conclusion of the very special circumstances
This is a well-conceived extension to an existing and successful farm diversification
scheme for business purposes that contributes to sustainable development
objectives and helps to sustain the agricultural enterprise, it is consistent in scale with
the rural location and existing built environment of the farm.
This diversification in the Green Belt does not affect the openness of the Green Belt
and does not conflict with the purposes of including land within it.
The expansion of the existing facility is not excessive and does not encroach into the
countryside, it sits on an existing concrete base that was formerly a muck midden.
The proposal would not have an adverse effect on neighbour amenity, as the stabling
of horses already exists on the farm. Full facilities for exercising the horses are
provided by the existing sand paddock, and there is no need for the riders to leave
the site in order to properly exercise their horses.
There are no buildings on the farm that are available to convert or re use for this
purpose; they are all in use already (Fig 1)
The applicant is keen to impress upon the council that he is prepared to make a
substantial financial commitment to this project to ultimately assist in the improved
profitability of the unit, and the two elements working harmoniously together.
It is believed that very special circumstances apply in this situation and that
careful consideration is required by the LPA of all contributory factors before a
decision is made.
Figure 1.