Taylor Wimpey plan for 1,100 homes in Lancashire gets OK after appeal

Housing secretary Michael Gove has granted planning permission for 1,100 homes in Lancashire originally refused by a local council.

Permission for two applications for a residential mixed-use development at a site called Pickering’s Farm at Penwortham near Preston was rejected by South Ribble Borough Council twice for reasons including the impact on “highways, green infrastructure, ecology, drainage, air quality and lack of infrastructure”.

Developer Taylor Wimpey appealed and in a letter sent yesterday on behalf of Gove, the housing secretary said he has “not identified any material considerations which carry weight against the proposals”. 

“[Gove agrees] that the delivery of a total of some 1,100 homes in a mix of sizes is a significant benefit, to which he gives significant weight. He further agrees that the delivery of affordable housing would be a benefit carrying significant weight,” the letter adds. 

>>See also: ‘We’re victims of short-term policy-making’: Interview with Taylor Wimpey boss Jennie Daly

This site is predominantly open agricultural land of more than 50 ha in total. It was earmarked for development in the 1970s and it was allocated as a major development site within the South Ribble Borough Council’s local plan in 2015. 

The approved plan includes building a two-form entry primary school, as well as a new local centre and creating publicly accessible open space. 

Earlier this month, Taylor Wimpey revealed it was on track to post operating profit of £470m this year, at the upper end of guidance, prompting some analysts to suggest the bottom of the current housing market had been reached.