- Decision
- dismissed, 22 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: E Fawcett
- Authority
- Bolton (North West)
- Appeal reference
- 6009276
- Application reference
- 21353/25
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of Class E building to 2 flats
- Homes
- 2
- Site context
- inside settlement, conservation area
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- S4, P3, HE6, DP3
- Development plan policies
- Places for Everyone JDPD 2024 JP-H3, JP-P1, JP-P2, Bolton Core Strategy 2011 CG4, General Design Principles SPD
- Main issues
- living conditions; conservation area
Summary
Conversion of a town-centre commercial building in Bolton's St George's Conservation Area into two flats was dismissed. The flats would give poor living conditions (P3, significant weight), and the lack of detail on windows, heat pumps and PV meant CA harm could not be ruled out (HE6). Under S4 the benefits were "substantially outweighed" (DL ¶35).
What made the difference
Poor internal amenity (below NDSS, oppressive 3.8 m outlook, workshop noise) and missing heritage detail. HO7 weight was cut to moderate because "there is no substantive evidence before me which identifies such a need for the type of accommodation proposed" (DL ¶31). That is a notable reading: HO7's substantial weight was tied to evidenced need for the specific type of home.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| P3 | fail | significant | 1-bed flat below NDSS; 3.8 m outlook to joiner's workshop; poor daylight to second-floor rooms; no usable outdoor space; workshop noise (DL 5-15, 34) |
| HE6 | harm | considerable | lower-end harm to St George's CA from unspecified windows, ASHPs and PV; public benefits (moderate for re-use/low-carbon) do not outweigh (DL 16-27) |
| HO7 | benefit | moderate | no evidence of need for this type of accommodation, so moderate not substantial (DL 31) |
| S4 | fail | benefits substantially outweighed (DL 35) |
Key facts
- Two flats in the north of Bolton town centre, in a CA; ground-floor bedroom window 3.8 m from a two-storey joiner's workshop against a 13.5 m SPD interface
- Amended plans not accepted (substantial change)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.