Linden Hill Capital appeals rejection of 160,000 sq ft West Lancs industrial
Despite being recommended for approval by officers, the council’s planning committee voted to reject the scheme in May, paving the way for an inquiry early next year.
Linden Hill Capital is seeking to have the refusal of its plans for three industrial units totalling 160,000 sq ft south of Stopgate Lane overturned.
The investor lodged plans to redevelop a 10-acre site on the edge of Simonswood Industrial Estate.
West Lancashire Council’s planning officers recommended the project for approval, despite it being located on a site designated as protected land, where there is a presumption against development, in the authority’s local plan.
A report compiled by the planning team said that the scheme should be approved “due to current delivery rates of employment land and emerging demand for employment land in the borough, as well as the current unavailability and unsuitability of alternative employment sites”.
The report added that the project would provide a new home for John Mason International Movers, which is currently based in Knowsley and had agreed to take the smallest of the three units, spanning 27,400 sq ft.
However, the planning committee had other ideas.
Members were concerned about the impact the project would have on the “rural character of the area”. A second reason for refusal stated that the developer had “failed to adequately demonstrate via sequential testing a comprehensive approach to the consideration of available, viable and suitable alternative employment sites”.
The inquiry will begin on 18 February 2025.
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So a nondescript patch of land on the corner of a particularly grotty looking industrial estate that’s effectively in Kirkby, and the West Lancs Planning Committee decided to come over all environmentalist? Not even a nimby argument here, as there’s so few local residents and it hardly changes the character of the area. Perhaps they are hoping firms will have to relocate to Skem instead?
By Anonymous
Really glad the planning committee stood up for the small, but important local community. It is a lovely rural area being spoilt by the industrial park operators, especially large trucks speeding on small roads and flouting weight restrictions.
By Anonymous